The Last Dead: No Time Left
by o0oWoLfwrIT3ro0o
Summary: Clementine and Ellie have been taken by an unknown man. Lee and Joel are willing to do whatever it takes to save them both. With the dead now overrunning all of Savannah, can they get them back before there's no time left?
1. Chapter 1: The Hospital

**PREVIOUSLY ON THE LAST DEAD**

Clementine: "I'm Clementine. This is my house."

Lee: "Hi, Clementine. I'm Lee."

* * *

Marlene: "Ellie! Ellie, relax, agh, it's okay. This is Joel, he's a friend."

Ellie: "Oh… hi."

Joel: "Hi."

* * *

Clementine: "What if my parents come home and I'm not there?"

Lee: "They'll, uh, track us down. Don't worry."

Clementine: "Yeah, okay. We should keep a lookout. I've got my walkie-talkie in case they try that way."

* * *

Lee: "We're still in agreement with our plan though, right? We find Clementine's parents, find a boat, and we figure out who and what the Fireflies are."

* * *

Vernon: "You folks didn't come here using the railroads, did you?"

Carley: "We did. Why?"

* * *

Lee: "Molly!"

Molly: "Just go! Get them far away from this hellhole!"

* * *

Joel: "After all we've seen in this city, you know just as much as I do that we ain't gonna be able to find em. The longer we stay here, the sooner the Hunters will figure out where we are. We need to leave while we still can."

* * *

Stranger: "Easy now. I'm not a Hunter. Everything is going to be okay now. I'm here to rescue you both."

* * *

Lee: "Shit. Oh shit. Joel, you- you don't think-?"

Joel: "No. No, they weren't bitten. They obviously fought back against that thing."

Lee: "So then, where could they be?"

Joel: "I think we both know the answer to that."

* * *

Lee: "Somebody took em. Wherever they are, Joel and I have to find them."

Carley: "Okay. What can we do?"

* * *

Lee: "Okay, people, we should go look for Vernon and the cancer patients, see if he took em."

Joel: "Let's get a move on then."

Chuck: "Lead the way."

* * *

**A/N ********The story progresses based on the choices that I have made in the game and how I think Joel and Ellie would fit into the story of The Walking Dead Game. After a minor, but tense conversation with the Stranger, the survivors must find a way out of the hospital and return to the manor.**** Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Lee: "Vernon, get out here! There doesn't have to be any trouble here! All we want are the girls! Give them back and nobody needs to get hurt!"

Joel: "They ain't here. We missed them."

_o0oWoLfwrIT3ro0o presents_

Clementine: "Lee?"

Lee: "Clementine! A-are you and Ellie okay? Where are you two?… Vernon, you son of a bitch!"

Stranger: "Hello, Lee."

_A crossover event_

Joel: "Who the hell are you?!"

Stranger: "I'm not Vernon if that's what you're thinking, Joel. And you should all really watch your tone."

Joel: "Where's Ellie? What have you done with her and Clementine?"

Stranger: "Oh, don't worry, the girls are just fine. But if I were you, I'd choose my next words _very_ carefully."

**THE LAST DEAD**

**EPISODE FIVE: NO TIME LEFT**

Chapter 1: The Hospital

Joel: "What do you want from us? Whatever it is, you don't need to be dragging them both into this. They've got nothing to do with it, so just let em go."

Stranger: "I'm afraid I can't do that, and this has _everything_ to do with them. All I want from you two is to never hurt anybody again. This isn't a kidnapping."

Joel: "I could give two shits on what the fuck you _think_ that this is. We're coming to get our girls back, and after we do, we are gonna hurt _you_, ya son of a bitch."

Stranger: "No you're not! There is an ocean of dead just swarming out there in these streets between you, me and them, and if I can thank God for anything_\- _Aaggh!"

Clementine: "Ellie!"

Ellie: "Motherfucker!"

Joel: "Ellie? What's happening?"

The line had been cut off abruptly after that. It sounded like Ellie had fought back against this stranger. If she did, there's no telling how he will retaliate.

Joel: "Hello?! Hey!… Goddammit."

He had shoved the radio back to Lee and moved away from him with his fists clenched so tightly, his knuckles turned white. Only noises they could be heard at the moment were the gunfire and yelling from the windows near the ceiling and the moaning from the sewers behind them.

Lee: "Try to keep a clear head, Joel. We'll get them back."

He place the radio back onto the side of his waistband. Joel knew he was right. Being mad as hell isn't gonna help get the little girls back or make this situation any better. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he takes a deep breath in order to calm himself down. He then turns to see the rest of the people in the room. Carley, Kenny, Chuck, Omid and Christa were all here with them to lend their support.

Chuck: "Feeling better now?"

Joel: "I'll feel a lot better once Ellie and Clementine are safe and I get my hands on the bastard who took em."

Chuck: "Hmph, didn't think so."

Carley: "Guys, we should move. The walkers are getting closer."

They all turn to the door leading out into the sewers and the walkers were crawling through the hole leading to the morgue. They didn't have time to stay in there for much longer. Omid rushed over to the door and slams it shut.

Christa: "That won't hold them for long. We need to get out of here before they break in."

Kenny: "We'll make sure none of them get through. Lee, you think you and Joel and can find us a way out of this room?"

Lee: "Yeah, we're on it."

Soon, everyone had taken out their firearms to defend the door. Expect for Chuck who only had his shovel and swung it over his shoulder. Joel and Lee start heading towards the other side of the room to find another exit. Going up a ramp, they find an elevator and another door. Lee proceeds toward the door, grabs the handle to turn it, but it wouldn't budge.

Lee: "It's locked. Guess the elevator is the only other way out."

Joel: "It'll do. We can go up through the shaft and find another exit. Gimme a hand with this."

The two men each take one side and attempt to pull it open with their bare hands. This wasn't working, so they had to stop.

Lee: "Can't get our fingers in between the doors."

Joel: "Shit. Maybe they left something behind in here we can use to pry it open. Let's give it a quick look over."

Heading back down the ramp, they turn towards the cabinets and draws. As Lee went ahead to search them, Joel noticed a few items left on the counter; an autopsy saw, some bandage rolls, small scissors and a tourniquet rubber tube. These were only a few supplies one would need to perform a surgery. Vernon and the cancer patients really did leave this place in a hurry if they'd left all this behind. They won't get the elevator open, but they could come in handy later. Momentarily taking off his pack, Joel stores the items inside it just in case. Except for the saw. He has his machete. After he finished with that, Lee came back with something in his hand.

Joel: "You got something?"

Lee: "I, uh, think so."

He holds it out for Joel to take and he accepts it.

Joel: "Huh. It's a rib spreader."

Lee: "You've seen one of those before?"

Joel: "Back when I was working the black market, I actually seen a guy I knew use one of these before. On a fella he thought was holding out on him. I'll spare you the details, but it weren't pretty."

Lee: "Jesus. Just looking at that thing grosses me out."

Joel: "Hmm, you know what? This could actually work in getting that elevator open."

They return to the elevator and put the rib spreader to use; Lee pulls on one side to make enough room for Joel place the device in between the doors, then cranks on the lever to pry them open. After about four cranks, they both open the elevator all the way and Lee calls out to their people.

Lee: "Over here! We can get out this way."

They heard his call and retract their weapons as they join them through the elevator. It was much darker in here than in the morgue, so they switch on their flashlights and look up at the ladder in front of them. The hospital itself was a tall building and they were in the basement level. They were in for a long climb.

Lee: "Alright, up we go."

Joel: "Let's try to keep quiet and see if there's an empty floor. If not, then we make our way to the roof."

Kenny: "Sounds like a plan."

One by one, the group began to climb up the ladder. Since Chuck was first to ascend, he would be the first to see through the open doors in the shaft. After reaching the first and then second floors, all that could be seen was the dead occupying each one.

Chuck: "This ain't good. So far, each floor is swarming with the creepy-crawlies."

Omid: "Guess that means visiting hours won't be open, then."

Christa: "Not now, Omid."

Lord knows what went down inside this hospital when the outbreak started. The Hunters and Crawford most likely scavenged all they could take before it became overfilled with walkers. Maybe even took the doctors with them while leaving their patients for dead. They also pass an elevator that was full of snarling from the inside and heard something banging on it's walls. With no power, that thing wasn't going anywhere. As they were about reach the third floor, a loner wandering to the edge of the open door spots the old survivor and he leaned to the side to avoid being grabbed as it falls over and he yells,

Chuck: "Heads up!"

Everyone glanced up before leaning in close to the ladder and duck their heads to avoid the falling rotten body.

Omid: "Whoa!"

The walker flew right past them and they could hear a sickening squish when it landed at the bottom.

Joel: "Jesus Christ."

Lee: "Everything okay up there?"

Carley: "Yeah, everything's fine. Just watch out for raining walkers."

Thankfully, that was the only walker to fall through the shaft and the rest of the climb went smoothly.

* * *

The door leading to the rooftop had been open, thanks to the shiv Joel used to unlock it, but it also broke in the process. Lee was the first to step out with the group in tow. Stepping close to the edge, they could see most of Savannah, as well as how the Hunters down below that were struggling to survive against the overwhelming amount of walkers in the city that used to be under their control. From up here, it looked like they were fighting a losing battle.

Kenny: "Remember when Hunters were the only ones roaming around Savannah?"

Christa: "I guess they and Crawford got one thing right."

Carley: "The whole city looks like a war zone now."

One Hunter was struggling against a lurker that lunged at him and used his shotgun to keep its chompers away. He accidentally fired a buckshot in the air, causing the survivors up top to take a few steps back. Last thing they need is to get caught in the crossfire again like last night.

Omid: "They didn't follow us here, did they?"

Chuck: "I reckon this is the same herd from that station we passed the other day. Only it's gotten much bigger than we last saw em."

Christa: "That's crazy; they don't track, they just roam."

Kenny: "Is it? That fucking train wasn't exactly discreet."

Joel: "I knew we shouldn't have rode in here on that damn thing to begin with."

Lee: "Clementine and Ellie are still out there somewhere. Gobbled up in all of that."

Kenny: "We'll get to em, pal. We'll do whatever it takes."

Carley: "Damn straight."

Omid: "Okay, so what's our next move from here? I mean, obviously we should figure a way off this roof, but then what?"

Taking a moment to think it over, Lee turns around to take another look around the city before he came up with an idea on where they can go from here.

Lee: "We should retrace our steps back to the mansion. From there, we can try to head towards the hotel Clementine's parents were staying in. At the Marsh House."

Omid: "You think that's where we'll find them? Clem and Ellie, I mean."

Lee: "She had to have told that guy they were staying there, so I'd bet that's where they'll be."

Joel: "We need to get our bearings. Everyone have a look around, see if there's a way down from here and something we use to clear us a path."

Everyone follows his suggestion and split off into pairs; Kenny and Chuck had gone to the left side, Omid and Christa took only a few steps away to get better view of where the manor is and Lee and Carley go to the right side, leaving Joel by himself as he starts thinking and examining his surroundings. First thing he notices was a sign painted on the roof that stood out like an eyesore. Someone was trying to paint "NO HELP" on the roof, with the letter P left incomplete. There was dry paint spilled out from a bucket, an extension ladder knocked over and a blood trail leading over the edge. Most likely belonging to the same person who painted that sign before he got wounded and fell over. There was also a rotten dead body by the edge, a few feet away from Christa and Omid. Either the poor bastard that died before finishing his sign, or the walker that did him in. Heading over to Kenny and Chuck, he spots two dirty lawn chairs with some cardboard placed underneath them and a cooler that was currently being inspected by the hobo.

Joel: "Find anything?"

Kenny: "There's a fire escape over here. Could be our only way down, but we'll need a way to thin out the streets a little if we're gonna make it back through that shit down there."

Chuck: "That's not all. Judging by the setup here, it looks like a couple folks were holding out up here. One of em even had the similar idea of yours, but didn't get the chance to use it."

Inside the cooler was a Molotov cocktail that had been crafted a long while ago. Chuck had taken it out and given it to Joel. These things have been a real lifesaver since they arrived in this damned city. As the man stores it inside his backpack, he remembered the items he picked up while roaming through the halls of Crawford and takes out the roll of scotch tape and half of scissors to craft another shiv to replace. After he finished crafting and puts his backpack back on, he notices Kenny staring off in the distance. From here, he could swear they were able to see Crawford and the smoke coming out from the school's roof. Moving to stand beside him, he could see the frown on Kenny's face.

Joel: "You see something?"

Kenny: "Nah, I was... I was taking a minute actually. Sorry, I know I shouldn't."

Joel: "You holding up okay?"

Kenny: "Yeah. Yeah, it's just... everything. Fuck, man. You know, I really can't thank Lee enough for what he did for Duck. And I never got to say thanks to you before for what happened in that attic with that boy. I know I was hellbent on getting us all to the coast before, but after everything, well, I just can't picture Kat and Duck being caught up in all this mess."

Joel: "Try not to dwell on it."

Kenny: "No, you're right. I'm sorry. We're in a fucking hurry to get off this roof. I'll keep a lookout from here."

He steps away to leave him to it, and that's when he noticed a bell tower on the other side of the roof. A plan was starting to come together in his mind. Meanwhile, Omid and Christa were having a conversation of their own.

Christa: "How's your leg holding up, sweetie?"

Omid: "It's doing a lot better. Thanks for going into Crawford for me, babe. Even though it wasn't all entirely _for_ me. I hope get to tell Clem and Ellie the same. They're tough as hell."

Christa: "They are, aren't they? When Lee and Joel brought them with us, I was thinking they were out of their minds to bring them to a place that was so dangerous. Then again, Henry was also bringing his little brother Sam with him, so I couldn't really object to that."

Omid: "Huh, Henry and Sam. Didn't you mention that they were part of the scavenger group you guys met out here?"

Christa: "They were, along with this girl, Molly."

Omid: "What happened with them?"

Christa: "I asked about them on our way back from Crawford and Joel told me that Sam got taken by Hunters just as we got out. Henry and Molly stayed behind to get him back."

Omid: "Damn. Hope they made it out okay."

There was a silence between them as they resume watching the scenery in front of them with her arms crossed over her chest and his hands on his hips. Looking down below, they managed to catch sight of a Hunter shooting a few lurkers before his weapon ran out of ammo, leaving him vulnerable of getting overwhelmed and devoured. Omid winced at the sight of that and continues their chat.

Omid: "You know, if three months ago, I told you that our road trip would include killer corpses and homicidal maniacs, you'd tell me-"

Christa: "That you are full of shit."

Omid: "Ha ha, yeah, that's what I'd tell me, too. So, uh, got any ideas yet?"

Christa: "I'm working on it. Honestly, though, my vision isn't all that good right now. I think it's allergies or all that shit those walkers are kicking up in that dust."

Omid: "Heh, allergies. Remember when that used to be one of our biggest worries?

Christa: "Seems so small now compared to all that we've been through."

Omid: "I know, right? Now, are you sure it's allergies and not because of-"

Christa: "Omid, please. Now's not a good time to get into that."

Omid: "Okay. Okay..."

Over on the right, Carley and Lee had looked down from the edge to see more of the dead lurking down the alley. It was long way down from here. Lee took a step back and tried not to think about how high they were. He looked to see Carley was in deep thought over something and asks her about it.

Lee: "What are you thinking?"

Carley: "I had woke up this morning thinking about how we were all gonna divide up on who's gonna be sailing away on the boat and who's staying behind. And now, all I can think about is finding two scared little girls and pray they'll be okay when we do."

Lee: "We will. Whoever this guy is, I don't think he'd actually do anything to hurt them."

Carley: "I hope you're right. And that's not all that I was thinking about. I mean, just look at where we are now; lived in a motel for three months, survived against cannibals, bandits, traveled half across Georgia, and just last night, we took on a whole school of walkers. Ha, this would be one hell of a story to tell if I was still working in WABE."

Lee: "Yeah. We've all come very far since that day in the drugstore."

Carley: "We all managed to come this far thanks to you. Joel too. Ever since we left Lilly behind and Kenny lost his family, everyone's been looking up to both of you to lead. Hell, when you and I met, I knew who you were and what you did, and was wondering if I could even feel safe to be in the same room with you. And now, you're someone that I trust with my life more than anyone else."

The man smiled in response to her statement. He remembered how she mentioned that she would be happier if he took charge more often. Back then, Kenny and Lilly were often butting heads over making the hard calls and he never liked being caught in the middle of that. And now, both him and Joel have been working together in keeping their people safe and keep moving forward all the while taking care of two little girls who weren't even their actual daughters.

Lee: "Thanks, Carley. I, uh, really appreciate hearing that."

She reached her hand out to hold his with a kind her smile of her own. They spent a moment looking into their eyes until Lee turns to face the bell tower in front of them. And then, she notices how his smile faltered when it looked like he put his thinking cap on.

Carley: "What is it?"

Lee: "With the bell tower on this side of the hospital, and the mansion over there... hmm, that may be our only chance off this rooftop. Just need to find a way to reach it."

They can't reach the bell tower right now. The ledge to it was higher than the one they're standing on. If Molly were here, she could probably make the jump to the ledge with that ice climbing picked she named Hilda. Sadly, there's no telling what became of her, Henry and Sam after they escaped Crawford. He lets go of her hand and walks away from the former reporter to look for something they can use to reach that tower. He thought he had seen a ladder nearby and soon finds Joel heading towards and lifts it up. When the two men looked at each other, it seemed like both of them had the same idea.

Lee: "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Joel: "Depends. Does it involve using that bell tower?"

Lee: "Yeah."

Joel: "Then, I guess I am."

He carries the ladder with him all the way towards the bell tower to put their idea into action. When they reach the edge, Joel places on top of it and extends it to its peak while Lee helps keep it steady. They then carefully set it down for it to reach the edge of the bell tower. Step one was now in place. Step two was for someone climb it. Their group approaches them when they noticed them at work.

Omid: "You guys got a plan?"

Lee: "Yeah. This bell tower might be our best chance of clearing us a path."

Joel: "We draw as many of the walkers and Hunters to this side and then we can haul ass down that fire escape over there back to the mansion."

Kenny: "You think one of you two should have to go?"

Carley: "I can do it."

Omid: "My leg's fine. Let me do it."

Chuck: "If we have to decide on who oughta take a risk like this, it should be the one who's got the least to lose. You've all still got that something; something to fight for. Something worth living for. Me? I already lost all I had to lose a long time ago."

Lee: "Chuck-"

Chuck: "Nope. No point in arguing. One way or another, them little girls are countin' on the two of you to save them, and I'm gonna see to it that y'all get to them in one piece."

No one objected to his statement and allowed him to step up to the ladder.

Carley: "Be careful."

Lee: "Yeah, what she said."

As carefully as he could, Chuck climbs his way up to the bell tower. The creaking noise it was making with each step was making them feel more anxious for him. Didn't help the thing was looking a little rickety to begin with. But then, the lock that held the ladder in place snaps off, causing it to slowly retract from the ledge.

Chuck: "Oh, criminy!"

Joel: "Chuck, move!"

Not wasting a second, the hobo quickly climbed the rest of the steps on his feet and reached the ledge just as the ladder slipped right out from his feet. One unfortunate walker down below caught the ladder with its head and got slammed into the pavement.

Chuck: "Well, that happened."

Omid: "Damn, that was a close one."

Kenny: "Are you okay?"

Chuck: "Yup, just dandy."

Looking over his shoulder, he could see there was a hatch that leads to the bottom of the bell tower. Where all the walkers and Hunters will be once he rings this bell. He lets a deep sigh, knowing there was only one option now.

Chuck: "Guess that's the way it's gonna be then..."

Christa: "What are you waiting for?"

Chuck: "Nothing. And neither are any of you."

Kenny: "What does that mean?"

Chuck: "It means there ain't no point in waiting on me now. Y'all go wait by the fire escape and get ready to move when I start ringing this bell."

Omid: "What the fuck?"

Lee: "You want us to leave you, again?"

Chuck: "There ain't no other way."

Lee: "Hell no, man! Just ring the bell and jump for it. It's not too far."

Chuck: "Very funny, son. I ain't as young as I used to be. I can't make that jump."

Lee: "Damn it, Chuck! We're not gonna leave you behind again!"

Chuck: "You will if you still want any chance of getting them girls back! I ain't your priority. They are."

Joel: "Lee, there's nothing we can do for him."

Kenny: "Come on, pal. They need us more than he does."

Even Carley agreed with them as she placed her hand on Lee's shoulder. He really didn't like it, but the old man was right; they can't stay here to wait on him and he can't make the jump back. Leaving him now was the only choice they have.

Chuck: "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Now get a move on already!"

Everyone hurried to the other side of the rooftop near the fire escape. Except for Lee. The last time they had separated from Chuck, he got lucky in surviving alone that night with nothing but his shovel and finding them in the morgue in one piece. But the way things are now in the streets, the chances of him surviving on his own again have gotten slimmer. He may need extra protection. With this in mind, he withdrew the pistol from his shoulder holster and checks the clip to find eight bullets remaining.

Lee: "Shit."

This was a risky move, but it just might save him in the long run. Lee turns back around to call out for the hobo as he tosses his gun at him. Chuck managed to catch it by the barrel just before it landed near his feet. He felt this was unnecessary, but still appreciated the gesture.

Lee: "Just to give you a better fighting chance out there."

Chuck: "Much obliged. Go on now! Scoot!"

He nods his head and runs over to join the others. And so, after placing the gun in his coat pocket, he turns around to face the bell and its rope.

Chuck: "Ask not for whom the bell tolls."

He grabs hold of the rope in his hands and squeezes it.

Chuck: "It tolls for thee."

With one good tug, the bell starts ringing. Every walker within its range was attracted to its noise. The Hunters took advantage of this and lets them gather around the tower so they can pick them off more easily this way. Chuck continues tugging on the rope as his comrades make a break for it down the fire escape. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Joel peeked out from the side to make sure no one was looking their way before they all make a beeline through the streets. Running past the walkers was no problem, but they did spot two Hunters heading in their direction to join their buddies before turning their attention on them. One armed with a rifle was about take aim at them, but Carley was faster with her handgun and shot him in the eye, instantly putting him down. Kenny uses his own rifle to shoot the other Hunter with a bat in his hand right in the neck, causing blood to spill out. Joel shoved right past him, knocking him down and he watches them leave as he was left for the lurkers to have at him.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N Book 5 has officially begun. I'm very sorry to all of you readers that this took longer than it should've, but it has begun. Been going through writer's block and more personal issues. I also want to say how happy I am that The Final Season of The Walking Dead Game ended the way it did and that it got the closure it deserves. It's been nearly seven years since the game was first published. Seeing it all come to an end has been quite the experience. Now, with the choice Lee made at the end of this chapter, would you have given Chuck the gun or held on to it?**


	2. Chapter 2: Taken

**A/N******** Thanks to Chuck, the survivors were able to escape the roof, and Lee left him his gun for extra protection. As they make their way back to the manor, they will experience unfortunate casualties and will have to fight for their lives.**** Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Chapter 2: Taken

Getting through the streets of Savannah used to be somewhat easy since there were only small groups of Hunter to avoid until the massive herd of walkers came in. It hasn't been easy for a certain group of survivors to navigate through the city. After a while of running, they had come to a stop again when there was another group of Hunters fighting the undead in front of them. With nowhere else to go, they quickly move to cut across the alleyway before they could notice them.

Omid: "Hah, shit man, this is crazy. These guys are everywhere."

Kenny: "Suck it up, kid. We're only a few more blocks away from the house. Just gotta push a lil further."

As they were about to come around the corner, someone suddenly jumped out in their path with a weapon held up, ready to take a swing at them.

Lee: "Whoa, shit!"

However, the weapon was stopped mid-swing and it turned out to be Molly with her face covered by the surgical mask, hood over her head and the ice climbing pick she nicknamed Hilda held tightly in her hand.

Molly: "Oh, it's you."

Kenny: "Hmph, that's a fine 'how do ya do'."

Joel: "You made it out."

Molly: "Yeah. Just barely. If you're all here, then I'm guessing that massive geek herd out there is giving you all shit, too?"

Lee: "Something like that, yeah. Where are Henry and Sam?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead, she averted her gaze from them and had a sad look in her eyes. This caused everyone to fear the worse for them.

Lee: "...Molly?"

Molly: "Come with me."

She starts leading them all to the left in the alleyway while removing the surgical mask and pulling down her hood. Up ahead, they could spot the brothers; Henry was kneeling down in front of Sam sitting against the wall with an empty 9mm left on the ground beside them. When they got closer, they could hear labored breathing coming from the younger brother and noticed his skin was paler than usual. They had seen this before.

Carley: "Is... Is he...?"

Molly: "Sam was bit when we got away from Crawford."

A couple of gasps were heard from the group. Not including Omid and Christa, seeing the young boy on the brink of death like this was an all too familiar scenario to them. Especially for Kenny. Lee was also thinking of how he could've been the one in Sam's position had Joel not saved him during their escape.

Lee: "Henry, Molly, I'm so sorry that this-"

Molly: "Don't, okay? You don't need to apologize. We knew the risks when we came with you guys on that raid. None of you are to blame for this. Those fucking Hunters are."

Even though that may be true, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty for what they're going through right now. Maybe they could've stayed a little longer and done something to help them out. But chances are, someone else would've got bitten as well.

Christa: "Is there anything you need from us?"

Molly: "No. Thanks, but this is something for _us_ to deal with."

She approaches her friend and kneels down beside him. It pained her to see the boy like this. Just yesterday, he was healthy and spending time with kids his age inside that mansion. And now, here he was in the middle of an alleyway, just moments away from turning. They wouldn't allow him to become like them.

Molly: "Henry. His time's almost up."

He didn't respond. He just kept staring at his little brother in sadness and disbelief. Sam lets out a few more harsh coughs.

Molly: "You don't have to do this if you don't-"

Henry: "No! He-... He's my brother. It's gotta be me. I- I can do it."

She had some doubt about that, but doesn't argue. At first, he had taken out his cleaver to do it, but Molly reached out to stop him, thinking that it would be too much. Instead, she exchanges it for him to borrow Hilda to make it clean and quick. He accepts the pick and then she takes a few steps back for him to do what must be done. Slowly but surely, he brought the sharp end of Hilda to the side of Sam's head, holds the other side with his free hand and eventually pierces it through his temple, putting the poor boy out of his misery. Pulling it back out, he continues to stare at his dead brother while slowly standing up.

Henry: "Sam... Sam..."

He started breathing more heavily, trying to hold back his tears and tightened his grip on Hilda. He didn't even acknowledge his name being called by Molly or Lee. Joel starts cautiously approaching him, looking to take that ice climbing pick away from him before he does anything drastic. He could hear him sorrowfully muttering words under his breath.

Henry: "Henry, what have you done?"

Joel: "I'm gonna get that hook from you, Henry."

Before he could get any closer, Henry had lifted the weapon up at them and looks at the people with tear-filled eyes, making everyone feel nervous.

Christa: "Oh God."

Joel: "Whoa, okay, easy."

Molly: "Henry, no."

Henry: "This is your fault!"

Joel: "No, this ain't nobody's fault."

Henry: "This is all your fault!"

Joel: "Henry!"

Those words weren't really directed to him or the others. In truth, they were actually directed towards himself. The pick in his hand was shaking. Looking down at it, he soon reaches his other hand to firmly grasp it with a deep frown. So overcome with his sadness and guilt, there was only one he wanted to. Molly could see it in his face what he was about to do when she noticed the way he was holding it and widened her eyes. The second he lifted it up, she reacted without hesitation.

Molly "NO!"

In a flash, the woman dropped the cleaver and was able to grab onto Hilda before it was able to reach her friend's throat, swings her fist down on his wrist twice to force it out of his grip and swiped a leg to force him on the ground. While she was retracting her weapon back on her pack, Henry saw his cleaver and desperately tried to crawl toward it, but was once again thwarted by Molly grabbing and holding down on the pavement. He struggles to push her away from him, but she wouldn't give an inch. It wasn't until she slammed him down with her hands on his shoulders when she shouted,

Molly: "Don't you fucking dare try to do that again, Henry!"

Henry: "That was my fucking brother!"

Molly: "I lost my sister, remember!? You're not the only one whose lost someone important in their life, you asshole!"

Hearing those words caused him to nearly stop struggling when he was reminded of how she had lost her sister to the Hunters, someone else that he and Sam were close with, and how he was there to comfort her that day. He may have convinced her to keep surviving that day, but now, it felt like it was so long ago. He wasn't even sure if he can remember his own words, let alone keep surviving himself after losing the only family he had left, failing his responsibility to protect him.

Henry: "I... I can't... I can't-"

Molly: "Yes, you can. I know that it's hard, but you need to try to get over it and move on. If I can do it, so can you. Don't you dare leave me to face everything all alone, Henry. You hear me?"

Eventually, his struggling came to a completely halt. And then, he lets his tears flow, sobbing. Molly helps him into a sit-up position to pull him into her arms and he tightly hugs her back.

Henry: "I'm s- I'm sorry... I'm-"

Molly: "Shhh, it's okay. I'm here. I'm right here with you."

The people stood by and watched the woman comfort her friend with Omid wrapping his arm around Christa's waist and Carley holding Lee's hand. For Kenny, this was yet another reminder of what became of his son. He wanted to say something, that he knew what the older brother was going through. However, this was between them and he didn't want to intervene. Eventually, Henry lets go from the hug and gently pushes away.

Henry: "I'm okay... I'm- I'm okay. I just... Just need a moment."

He leans up against the wall with his arms wrapped around his knees, taking deep breaths while still leaking out a few more tears. Knowing that he needed some space, she takes the cleaver away just in case and the gun as well before leading the crew a few steps away from him.

Christa: "Is he going to be all right?"

Molly: "Yeah. At least, I hope so. It may be a while, but we'll get through this."

Carley: "What about you?"

Molly: "I'll be fine. Anyway, where's Clementine and Ellie? Why aren't they with you guys?"

Lee: "Some guy that Clem was talking to on her radio followed us all the way out here and took em from us last night after we got back. It happened when we were all sleeping."

Molly: "Why would he do that?"

Joel: "No idea. He claims that he didn't kidnap them and wants us to 'not hurt people again'. We don't even know who the hell he is or why he came after us."

She stood there silently for a moment to process this.

Molly: "Any idea where they are?"

Joel: "We're thinking they might be up at the Marsh House, so we're heading there after we stop by the mansion."

Molly: "Okay then."

The blond scavenger pulled out Hilda again and was about to walk away from them until the redneck called out.

Kenny: "Hey. Where you going?"

Molly: "Where else? With Henry. I'm all he's got left now. And that goes both ways."

Lee: "I thought you wanted to come with us. We do still owe y'all for helping us back at the river."

Molly: "Let's just call it even. Besides, it seems like the boat might be too crowded anyway."

Lee: "Are you sure? We really could use you guys' help again on this one."

Molly: "With just one guy? You don't need our help to deal with him. The way I see it, that shithead's gonna be needing a lot help from _you_ guys."

She had a point there. They outnumber him six to one. There was still the complication of getting to him through the swarming geeks and panicking Hunters, not to mention what he would do to the girls when backed into a corner if and when they get to them. But, the two of them had made up their minds. This was where they would go their separate ways for the last time. However, she still decides to leave them with one last parting gift as a token of gratitude. She reaches into her pocket to take out a paper and a small burlap sack.

Joel: "What's that?"

Molly: "Smoke bomb. Something we came up with in case we get caught while scavenging. Really works well if you need to make a quick getaway or even kill em while they're blind. Just light the fuse on this thing, chunk it and you'll flood the area with smoke for a bit. This recipe shows how you can make more if you ever want to."

Kenny nearly let out a scoff just by looking at that little sack and asked why they didn't use that in their first meeting, but he restrained himself due to the tragic event that occurred moments ago. She holds the bomb and recipe out for them to take. Under different circumstances, it may seem kinda far-fetched, but given the odds they're about to face, it may be worth taking. Joel had stepped up to accept the offer and was about to take it from her hand, but she had grabbed his with her other hand and looks at him directly in the eye with furrowed eyebrows.

Molly: "Find them, and save them. Get them across that bridge and don't look back."

Her tone almost sounded like she was pleading for their safety. He nods at her and she released his hand for him to place both items in his pocket.

Omid: "But wait, what about you guys? What're you gonna do?"

Molly: "The first thing we're gonna do is find a proper place to bury Sam. And then, we're making our own way out. With the geeks making the Hunters scrambling and pissing themselves, it shouldn't too hard to give em the slip now. See ya around."

Henry eventually looked up to see Molly standing in front of him and holds out her hand. He takes it, gets pulled back on his feet and nods at her, letting her know he was ready to go. Turning back to face Sam, he bends down to pick up his little brother, stares at him for a moment before walking down the alley side by side with Molly.

Lee: "Take care of yourselves."

Molly: "Yeah, you too."

And so, the two scavengers depart from the alleyway. After watching them go their own way for one last time, it was time for them to continue their route back to the mansion and go their own way.

* * *

The manor was within their reach now. They were almost there. As they come around the corner, there was a lone walker limping on the sidewalk. They were gonna deal with it, but were beat to it by a gunshot from the other side of the fence that killed it. That was not what they were expecting to happen right now. They quickly duck down back against the corner to stay out of sight, where they hear yelling from the other side of the fence. It was the Hunters. They found where they had been hiding ever since they arrived in Savannah.

Hunter 1: "Goddamn it, you fucking idiot!"

Hunter 2: "What? One less biter to worry about."

Hunter 1: "Did you seriously forget there's a whole herd of them coming through the city? Bad enough you already shot the old man when he was the one we wanted alive!"

Hunter 2: "Well, how the hell was I supposed to know _he_ was the doctor?! You assholes don't tell me shit."

Hunter 1: "Whatever, man. Just give me that gun before you get us all killed."

Hunter 2: "Man, fuck you, too."

The sound of footsteps were moving away from them. They move slowly towards the fence again to get a look of the backyard. There was one Hunter who had taken the gun and went to lean up against the wall near the back door while the other was going over to the gate. But then the crew focus their attention on the shed. The shovel that was barring it shut from the inside was now on the outside.

Kenny: "Aw, fuck no! If these bastards are here, then-"

Joel: "The boat. They may have already taken it away from here."

Carley: "But how? We locked it up before we left."

Sneaking another peek through the fence, Joel caught a glimpse of the Hunter at the gate picking up a tool. One of the only tools strong enough to break through a lock when you don't got the key.

Joel: "One of em's got bolt cutters. That's how they got through."

Kenny: "Son of a bitch. Can't believe this shit is happening right now. Like we ain't got enough problems already."

Omid: "How did they even find out where we were staying?"

Kenny: "I'll bet that guy on the radio told them just to fuck with us."

Lee: "No, he's not with these people."

Christa: "How do you know that?"

Lee: "He called us the first time we went down the sewers and he made it pretty clear that he's not a part of them or Crawford."

Kenny: "I don't give a fuck if they all started a fucking cult together. If my boat still isn't inside there and in one piece, I'm gonna-"

Joel: "Hey, keep quiet. If they spot us, we're in trouble. We need to get the jump on em."

The small brick wall underneath the iron bars provided little cover for them to hide behind as they all stayed low and moved as quiet as mice toward the garage. Luckily, the two hostiles were too occupied by their own thoughts to even look in their direction. Both doors were wide open on the other side of the garage and they find the boat was indeed no longer inside. Instead, there were some old familiar looking faces on their knees with their hands tied behind their back and ankles tied together so they couldn't move. It took Lee a moment before he recognized who they were while they stepped inside.

Lee: "Hey, you're the cancer patients from the hospital."

Boyd: "We are. Lee, was it? My name's Boyd. These two are Clive and Joyce."

Kenny: "The fuck are you people doing here? We were just at the morgue looking for _you_."

Clive: "We came here for the boat. We tried to get in here until the Hunters came and tied us up."

At first, they were a little surprised by, but then Kenny deepened his glare at them. What else would he'd expect from people nowadays at this point?

Kenny: "You sons of bitches."

Carley: "Hold on, if you're all here, then where is-?"

That was when they had notice another elderly man laying on the floor with his hands tied up. Getting a closer look, they realized that it was Vernon, with a bullet hole in his head.

Lee: "What the-?"

Christa: "Oh, my God."

Boyd: "They hadn't forgotten that we stole from them before we fled underground. I think they wanted to keep him with them since he's a doctor, but then one of em just went off. Shot him right in the head, he did. Just to prove a point."

Kenny: "So why are the rest of ya still alive then? Didn't take em as the hostage-taking types."

Joyce: "They're leaving us for dead. Soon as they get done inside there or a herd gets close, they're gonna let the walkers have at us. That's why they left those doors wide open. Said it'd be better than wasting anymore bullets."

Omid: "Christ. That is just messed up."

Clive: "Fucking Hunters. They really know how to hold a grudge."

Joel: "How many of them are in there?"

Boyd: "Not sure. About six, or eight if count the two out there. Please, you got to help us outta this."

Joyce: "Boyd?!"

Kenny: "You invalids just tried to fucking rob us just to save yourselves, and now you expect help from _us_?"

Omid: "Their actions, uh, contradict your characterization on them, but-"

Carley: "We're not just gonna leave them like this."

Kenny: "Like hell we're not. It'd serve them right."

Christa: "Kenny, they _didn't_ take the boat. The Hunters did, and they're probably half across the city with it by now."

Kenny: "Yeah, but they still woulda left us here to rot."

Clive: "Oh, and y'all wouldn't have done the same thing if you were in our position?"

Kenny: "Watch your mouth!"

Hunter 2: "Hey! You shut the fuck up in there!"

There was soon the sound of footsteps heading in their direction. One of the Hunters, the one carrying the bolt cutters, was coming to check in on their prisoners.

Joel: "Oh shit."

Joel moves past everyone to get close to the doors. The shiv he recently crafted would be of best use for this. After pulling the shovel out and stepping in, the hot-tempered man was suddenly grabbed by the front of his sweatshirt while getting stabbed in the neck, preventing him from hollering and killing him. Bringing him down to the floor, Joel then stabs him in the head to prevent him from reanimating. However, his buddy standing by the back door noticed the tool on the ground and called out for him. When he didn't hear a response, he calls out again while heading towards the garage with the gun in his hand. When he came near the door, he barely got a chance to react when Kenny abruptly jumps out to grab him in a chokehold, drags him inside and holds him for Joel to stab him right in the temple and then drops him. That's two down, and only four or six more to go.

Boyd: "Vernon was the one who persuaded us to take the boat, said that we had to get away before the herd rolled on into the city. That was a mistake and now he's paid for it. Listen, please, for what it's worth, we truly are sorry about your boat."

Lee thought back at that moment in Crawford's bell tower. It did seem odd how he'd ask if they came here by train and then dismissed it. Vernon must've seen the herd coming and kept it to himself. He should be angry at him about this, but he's dead now, so there's no point. Thinking it over, he didn't have it in him to leave them like this. What could they have to gain by letting a few senior cancer patients suffer? It sure as hell wasn't gonna bring them any closer to getting Clementine and Ellie back.

Lee: "We ain't leaving you people to die here. The boat's gone now, so what's done is done."

Kenny: "Lee, they would've-"

Lee: "I've seen enough to know that becoming like the people who made a mess of this city is the beginning of the end. That's just not the way we do things. Joel, mind if I borrow that for a second?"

He was referring to the bloody shiv in his hand and agrees to lend it to him for a moment while he used his machete on the ropes that were binding the seniors' wrists and ankles together to free them. Once they were free, they rise up to their feet and massage their wrists.

Joyce: "Wait, you told us before that you had two little girls with you. Are they... Did they...?"

Joel: "They were taken. Vernon said to us he thought they'd be better off with you folks, so we thought you had em and went to the morgue to get em back from y'all."

Joyce: "What? We- we'd never take children from anyone."

Clive: "We all used to have kids, Vernon included. Not even he would think to take someone else's child."

Kenny: "That's mighty generous of him."

The more the redneck spoke ill of their doctor leader, the more Clive was starting to dislike him. He looked like he was about retort, but Lee got in between to keep their argument from going any further.

Lee: "Hey, we ain't got time to hash this out right now. We'll take it from here. You people should get as far away from here as you can."

They nod at him and step towards the dead bodies to collect the bolt cutters, shovel and gun to defend themselves with out there. But before they began to leave, Clive focused on one of the dead Hunters and glared at him before he spits at his corpse. Most likely the one who murdered their friend.

Clive: "Sadist bastards..."

Joyce: "Let's go, Clive."

Boyd: "Here's hoping y'all manage to get them girls back. And hey, thank you."

And with that, the seniors head out into the streets. Maybe they'll make it out alive, maybe they won't. That just left with the Hunters to deal with inside their safe house and then they can get back to looking for Clementine and Ellie. Quietly approaching the back door, Joel takes a peek inside using the pet door. Luckily, they never moved the dog collar, so it stayed unlocked. He couldn't really get a good view inside, but he was able to catch two pairs of feet walking around inside. One of them came to a stop in the middle of the hallway while the other was coming from the kitchen and heading to the dining room. He moves away from the pet door before either could take notice of it being held open.

Joel: "I see two of em. I don't know where the rest could be."

Kenny: "Okay, so how do ya wanna do this?"

He had given this some thought, down on one knee with his right arm resting upon it, clenching and unclenching his fist. So far, these guys aren't aware they've returned yet. If they can keep it that way, they have the advantage with the element of surprise and they'll be able to take back this manor without firing a bullet. But if they get caught, that'd complicate things real fast. This wasn't much of a plan, but it was the best they got right now. A stealth approach would work best if only two them of move in.

Joel: "Lee, you and I will go in and take em out as quietly as we can. The rest of you, hang back unless things start going to shit."

Omid: "No sweat, man. We got your backs."

Kenny: "Yup. Right behind ya."

* * *

Carefully opening the door, the two men remain crouched down as they step inside and take cover behind the counter. Still no sign of where the rest of these guys are. They'll have to make do for now. Lee gestures for Joel to take the one standing by the dining table while he goes for the one straight ahead. Joel nods and starts creeping up to his target while Lee takes out his axe as he stalks towards his. Neither of them knew what was coming for them. When they got close enough, they almost simultaneously began chocking them out with Joel using a chokehold and Lee using his axe. But then, just as Joel was about to snap his neck, another Hunter had come out of the bathroom in the living room zipping his pants up to find one of his own getting killed by an old man.

Hunter: "What the fuck!? Hey! We got tourists down here!"

Joel: "Son of a bitch!"

He drops the dead body and both he and the Hunter rush at each other. Joel gets the first hit by kicking his gut, forcing him a few steps back. In attempt to punch him, Joel swings and misses before suddenly being shoved into the wall and brought his hand up to lessen the impact. The Hunter then pulls out a knife and an attempts to stab the tourist, but he ends up stabbing the wall when Joel dodges and grabs his wrist, trying to disarm him. Another Hunter came downstairs to see what was happening and focuses on Lee, who had just finished choking out his buddy with an axe and charges straight at him. Lee tries to get up to prepare to take a swing, only to be tackled to the floor, dropping his axe. Hitting the floor knocked some wind out of him, but was still able to narrowly avoid being punched by veering his head to the left, resulting in him hitting the hardwood floor instead. As he was about to take another swing, a pipe had been thrown right at Lee's attacker, smashing him right in the face to knock him back and it landed next to Lee. Looking behind him, he realized it was Omid who threw that pipe and was now giving him a thumbs up. The shorter man then warns Lee about the Hunter in front of him and turns back to see his axe being picked up by the hostile man. Lee picks up Omid's weapon while standing up, but then quickly ducks back down to avoid being struck by his own weapon, causing him to jam it into the wall. Lee counters by swinging the pipe right in the gut, then swings upwards to strike him in the jaw. As the Hunter staggers backwards, he was about to move in to fight back until he was suddenly tackled from the side by Joel, slamming him right into the stairs and breaking the wooden bars. The last guy he was dealing with got stabbed with his own knife. Joel grabs him by the head, turns him around and slams it down, piercing a broken piece directly through his eye. Now there was only two left.

Hunter: "You're dead, asshole!"

That voice came from up the stairs. Joel looks up to find where he was and ducks to avoid the blast of a shotgun and quickly pulls out his revolver to fire back, but misses. The Hunter goes back up the stairs while Joel takes cover by the living room. Lee had tossed Omid his pipe back at him and then pulled out his axe from the wall. Judging by the sound coming from the ceiling above them, there were two sets of footsteps above them. Both armed and ready for them. They were at a disadvantage now.

Hunter: "Just try and come up here, you fucking tourists! See if we don't blow your heads off!"

If they go charging up the stairs, they'd be gunned down before they could reach the trigger happy bastards. They could probably improvise something around them as a shield to get to them, but then, Joel gets a different idea of how to use the smoke bomb Molly gave him against them. Reaching for it and his zippo lighter, he lights the fuse and quickly tosses up the second floor. It bounces off the wall and lands right next to the Hunters' feet, which they stared at in confusion and then each other before it suddenly bursts tons of smoke in their facing, temporarily blinding them and making them cough. This was their chance to strike. With his axe in hand, Lee follows Joel up the stairs to finish them off. It was hard to see through the smoke at first, but the help of the light shining through the window to the left, Joel managed to spot his target and uses it to his advantage in order to tackle him across the hall until his back hits the window. He keeps up the attack with a punch to his throat, gut and face, cracking the window with each hit. After taking a step back, Joel deals the killing blow by kicking him through the window. He could hear the Hunter scream until he hit the ground and looks out the window to confirm he did not survive the fall.

Lee momentarily brought his hand up and coughed through the smoke before he finds the remaining Hunter around the corner in the hallway and reacts quickly just as his enemy was about to take aim with the shotgun. Using his axe, Lee swings it directly at the weapon, knocking it out of his hand and slicing two of his fingers. They were only minor cuts however. Not enough to stop him. Lee then attempts to hit him with the handle, but his enemy caught it before it could come into contact with his face. Both men tried to pull the axe away from the other until Lee suddenly swung his foot directly in between the Hunter's legs, hitting him where the sun don't shine and stunning him. This allowed him to yank it away back before jabbing the weapon directly toward his stomach, reels it back to swing the handle right at his jaw to knock him to the floor, leaving him open for Lee to lift his axe and swing it down on his head. That was the last Hunter in the house. Yanking it back out, he coughs again from the smoke and goes back down the first floor where he and Joel catch their breath and regroup with their people.

Kenny: "We got em all?"

Joel: "We're clear."

Christa: "Are you guys okay?"

Lee: "Yeah, yeah, we're all good. By the way, thanks for the assist, Omid."

Omid: "For sure. Told you we had your back."

Carley: "Jesus. I can't even begin to imagine what would've happened if they showed up while we were still here."

Kenny: "Probably would've ended up left to be eaten alive like those sick people."

Omid: "Yeah. We really dodged the bullet going out looking for Clem and Ellie when we did. Uh- Not saying that like them being kidnapped is a good thing, mind you. I just mean that-"

Joel: "We know what you mean."

Kenny: "God, everything is just so... fucked."

Christa: "Hey, Clementine and Ellie are still out there. We need to keep our focus on them."

Kenny: "Yeah, I get it. I just-"

Lee: "Shh!"

Kenny: "Well, excuse the shit outta me, professor."

Lee: "No, you hear that, right?"

They stayed quiet for a moment and were able to hear what he was referring to. There was that sound of walkers nearby, and it was getting closer. Hurrying over to the back door, Lee opens it and steps outside find a huge herd of walkers were coming for them, drawn to the sound of gunfire from earlier.

Lee: "Goddamn it! They're coming!"

He goes back inside, slams the door shut and locks it. They may not be enough to keep them out forever.

Kenny: "For fuck's sake! Is it really too much to ask for a fuckin' break here!?"

No sooner after he asked that did they hear the herd going through the shed, closing in on the back door.

Kenny: "Never mind."

Christa: "We can secure this place if we work fast."

Lee: "Christa, search the bodies for anything useful."

Christa: "On it."

The first dead Hunter she rushes to had a backpack left discarded near him and takes it to place anything she finds inside it.

Lee: "Kenny, move anything you can up against the doors and windows."

Kenny: "That's what I was thinking."

He starts off with attempting to move the fridge through the kitchen and grunts as he pulls hard on it.

Lee: "Carley, kill anything that tries to get inside this house."

Carley: "You got it."

She takes out her gun and does a quick check on how many bullets she has left in the clip.

Lee: "Joel, help Kenny."

Joel: "All right."

He goes to assist the former fisherman with the fridge, leaving Omid left, who was shocked by something he was staring at.

Lee: "Omid... What is it?"

He took off running, which lead Lee to see what he was staring at and became just as shocked; the front doors were open. He didn't have time to think about how that happened and just calls out,

Lee: "Get those front doors shut! NOW!"

He tries to move, but then trips and falls when a walker had grabbed onto his ankle through the pet door. He uses his free foot to kick at the hand repeatedly before pushing the pet door down on the rotten hand and soon got dislodged from its arm, freeing the man. Rising back up, Joel and Kenny had pushed the fridge up against the door, blocking the dead from getting through it. There was another situation that needed their attention.

Carley: "Hey, could use a little help!"

Omid: "We can't get these doors shut! Take their goddamn arms off!"

Hurrying over to their aid was Joel. Using his machete, he chops away at the multiple arms sticking out trying to break in until the doors were finally closed, but the locks weren't working. They needed something to keep it from opening back up. Carley glanced at the double-door closet and was reminded of something that may be just what they needed.

Carley: "Wait a minute. Joel, switch places with me! I got an idea!"

He goes along with it and was now pushing against the doors with Omid. Carley opened the closet to pull out the broom that gave her and Lee a scare when they first secured this place. The doors were shoved slightly open again. Carley reacts fast by using her gun to shoot a walker's head that was trying to push through, allowing the doors to close again and was now using the broom to stick it in between the handles. With the door now sealed shut, the two men didn't have to push against it anymore and ease off it.

Joel: "Nice quick thinking."

Omid: "Fuck yeah it was."

Just then, Christa meets up with them to give an update on her progress with the backpack in her hand.

Christa: "I finished cleaning out the bodies here. I'm moving up to check the rest."

As they watch her go up, the sound of glass breaking startled them and saw a walker's rotten hand reaching inside. The windows were compromised. Carley recognized the walker reaching its arm out was Brie and frowned, sad that this is what became of her. Still, she had her task. Shaking her head, she raises her weapon and shoots the walker in the head. More of them were breaking through the other windows and Carley kept preventing them from coming with each pull of the trigger. There was more glass breaking coming from the kitchen and were then joined by Lee and Kenny.

Lee: "They're coming through the kitchen, too!"

Omid: "Oh crap! Is there anything we can use to block the windows?"

Kenny: "I don't see anything. Them boards were all we got."

Lee: "Shit! All right, new plan. Get upstairs!"

They all make a retreat to the second floor. All except Carley who was still gunning down corpses. Lee hurries over and grasps her shoulder.

Lee: "Carley, save your bullets. There's too many of them."

Carley: "Shit. All right, I'm coming"

She follows him to meet up with the people on the second floor and find Kenny and Joel pushing the desk out from the study room.

Kenny: "Give us a hand with this thing."

The pair join in on moving the desk, which was very heavy even with four people pushing it. Omid even gives them a hand with it. Soon, they were all able to move the desk right in front of the stairs and slide it down the steps until it came to a stop halfway, blocking off the walkers, but also trapping them on the second floor.

Kenny: "There. Think that'll keep them back?"

Joel: "Probably."

Omid: "Now what?"

Just as Christa had finished searching the last corpse, there was the sound of gunfire and yelling coming not too far from outside the manor. That could only mean one thing.

Kenny: "More Hunters? Are you fucking serious!?"

Christa: "They must be on their way here to bail out their friends, expect the only thing they're gonna find is us."

Lee: "We can't let ourselves get trapped!"

At that moment, they could hear a creaking sound coming from below. Omid checks over the banister to see the staircase was giving way from the weight of the desk until it broke through and fell to the first floor, crushing any walkers underneath it. There were more breaking down the front doors despite the broom barring it shut.

Omid: "Fuck, we're screwed! Where do we go?"

Kenny: "There's no goddamn opening!"

Chirsta: "Up here, the attic!"

She points it out for everyone to take notice. The attic is the only place left they can go where the walkers and Hunters can't reach them. Joel pulls the string that opens the attic door and the ladder slides down.

Joel: "Everybody, move!"

One by one, the crew climbs the ladder to enter the attic. The gunshots were getting closer now. By the time Lee started climbing up, a walker was already coming around the corner. Being the only one left, Joel cuts the string with the machete so that nobody can open the attic again, climbs up and pulls the ladder up before slamming it shut.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N Credit for the idea of Sam's death and Molly preventing Henry's suicide goes to GlaringEyes. Thanks again. :) Though, I kind of really struggled with writing it properly since I know attempted suicide is a very sensitive topic for some people. Apologies in advance if I didn't and also for posting this chapter so late. I would've had this posted sooner, but my computer had technical issues that just delayed my progress and other nonsense happened. I also struggled with writer's block again. That was more stress than I needed. But I managed to get it done. Silver lining. The idea of Molly having a smoke bomb came to me while writing this out, and since she was referred to as a ninja many times before, it seemed pretty fitting to me. As for the cancer patients that tried to steal the boat, would you have cut them free or leave them tied up?  
**


	3. Chapter 3: Trapped

**A/N******** The survivors narrowly escape from the walkers and Hunters by retreating to the attic with nowhere else to go. Meanwhile, Ellie and Clementine attempt to apply what they learned in order to escape.**** Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

Chapter 3: Trapped

After Ellie's failed attempt to attack the Stranger, he takes it upon himself to bring her to the adjoining hotel room, bound her wrists together with some rope and then tie it onto one of the bed legs. Putting her on time-out, he said. To ensure she doesn't lash out and make anymore attempts to harm him. He even took away her knife. After tying her up, he walks out the door and she hears it click upon shutting it, meaning that he locked it so Clem wouldn't try to go in there. After that, she soon hears him talking to Clem on the other side, but couldn't make out the words before hearing another door opening and closing. The teen girl attempted to pull her hands free several times, even tried using her teeth to loosen it up, but the rope wouldn't give an inch. He tied them up real good.

Ellie: "Argh. Fucker. Can't believe this shit is happening right now. Goddamn it!... Okay, okay. Think. What do I do? What can we do?"

Taking a couple breaths, she tries to recall the things she and her friend had learned from their guardians. What's the first thing Joel always tells her to do? Take a look around and see if there's anything they can use. So, she does just that. Other than the bed she was tied to, there was a side table close by, a desk and a few chairs. Nothing sharp for her to use on the rope. And then, she notices a ventilation shaft next to her. She can use that to call out for Clem if that man isn't still in there. Luckily, she was tied close to the wall, so she can reach it without too much trouble. And so, she shifts herself closer to the vent and quietly calls out.

Ellie: "Hey, Clem. Clem? Clementine! Are you there?"

Eventually, she hears the voice she was hoping for on the other side.

Clementine: "Ellie? A- are you okay?"

Ellie: "Yeah, I'm fine. But he's got me tied to a bed in the other room."

Clementine: "Ellie, I... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I- I just wanted to see my parents again. I miss them so much."

She could hear her friend let out small sobs. No doubt feeling scared and guilty about the situation they're in right now. Ellie couldn't really blame her if she wanted to. There was no way they could've known this man would come for them at the manor again. If anything, she was regretting not taking a shot at him when she had the chance.

Ellie: "Hey, Clem, listen. I'm mad, but not at you, okay? I wanted to go with you."

Clementine: "I thought th- that they would be here. I thought he wanted to- to help me find them."

Ellie: "Yeah, well, he lied. I'm sorry, I know we thought they'd be here, but it doesn't look like it. And now we know better, right? From now on, we don't just take people's word for anything and be absolutely sure we can trust them, right?"

On the other side, she had wiped the tears away from her eyes before responding to her friend.

Clementine: "Uh-huh."

Ellie: "Look, we're gonna get out of this, I swear. But, we need to work together on this. Is he still there?"

Clementine: "I- I saw him go in the bathroom. He hasn't come out yet."

If he was in there, then it's likely he's tending to the wound she caused him on his shoulder. That or maybe he actually had to go and is taking his time.

Ellie: "All right, then we got some time. We need to let Joel and Lee know where we are so they can find us. Do you see the radio anywhere?"

Moving away from the vent, the younger girl does a quick look around the room. At first, there was no sign of it anywhere. She didn't see him put it in any of the drawers. There was a bowling bowl bag placed right in between some chairs, but she didn't see him go near it with the radio either. However, she did see him go through a backpack of his own in a closet. The same one she saw their backpacks placed in.

Clementine: "No, I don't see it. But, I- I think I know where he might've put it."

Ellie: "Okay, that's good. Go for it. Also, if you see my knife, grab it any way you can and then slip it through here when he's not looking so I can get out of this."

Clementine: "O-okay."

* * *

Back at the manor, the survivors had just climbed into the attic and pulled the ladder back up before slamming the door shut. Joel had cut off the rope to ensure no one else could enter it. It was already stressful enough after taking the manor back from the Hunters who invaded it and they heard more of them heading towards them. Everyone was now taking a moment to catch their breath.

Kenny: "Well, that could've gone better."

Lee: "Everybody all right?"

Joel: "Just hunky dory."

Meanwhile, Christa was looking through the backpack filled with everything she looted, plus some additional supplies stored in it beforehand.

Christa: "I got as much as I could off those Hunters. It's not a lot, but we should be able to make do."

Eventually, she pulls out a P226 handgun and ammo magazine from the bag and holds it out for Lee to take.

Christa: "Here, Lee. You might need this after giving away your last one to Chuck."

Lee: "Thanks."

He takes the items from her and places them in the pouches of his holster after checking how many bullets were remaining in the sidearm. Christa gives Joel three more shotgun shells before standing up and strapping the backpack on. Omid noticed the lack of gunfire from outside and walks to the window to get a look at where the Hunters are. He was able to spot them heading the opposite direction of the manor.

Omid: "I can see the other Hunters making a run for it. Guess they decided this place wasn't worth wasting their bullets on."

Kenny: "What about the walkers? They following after them?"

Omid: "Doesn't look like it. Still wandering below us."

Carley: "Any way for us to get out through there?"

Omid: "Nope, not gonna work. No latches, no roof access, and thirty feet straight down to God knows how many walkers."

Kenny: "Anyone have any ideas?"

At that moment, Omid spots a bust of a man's head in the room and approaches it to kneel and read the plaque on it.

Omid: "I bet this guy would. He's got a resourceful air about him."

Christa: "Knock it off."

Omid: "'Dixon Kent the III, industrial'-"

Christa: "OMID!"

Omid: "CHRISTA. I'm just trying to lighten the fucking tone."

Christa: "We need _solutions_, not _stupid jokes_!"

There was a silence in the room after her outburst. Realizing her action, she took a breath and speaks in a calmer tone.

Christa: "I'm sorry."

Omid: "It's fine, babe."

Joel: "We shouldn't have come up here. We're trapped."

Kenny: "Well, it ain't like there was anywhere else to go. We'd be chomped up and torn apart by now if we hadn't."

He's not entirely wrong. None of the other rooms on the second floor offered much protection. The walkers were breaking through their barricades and would've eventually overwhelmed them had they not climbed to the attic. Suddenly, the walkie-talkie on Lee's waistband made a static noise as a voice came through.

Clementine: "Lee! Joel! Are you there? We're okay. We're at the place my parents- oh no!"

Just as he grabbed it and was about to respond, the connection was lost again. However, her words did confirm where they had been taken.

Lee: "Did you hear that?"

Joel: "Sure did."

Christa: "What did that mean?"

Lee: "They're at the Marsh House, just as I thought. He hasn't moved them."

Kenny: "Not yet he hasn't."

Lee: "What do you mean?"

Kenny: "It won't do us much good of knowing where they are if we can't even get to them. And if he's figured out we know where to find them, he just might move them."

Lee: "Then the sooner we get out of this attic, the fucking better. There's just gotta be another way."

Christa: "We can check the floor and the ceiling to see if there's any other access. A vent, anything."

Kenny: "Well, the only good thing about all this is that shitbird Ben isn't here to fuck things up even further for us."

Carley: "Oh my- really, Kenny? You're gonna speak ill of the dead now?"

Kenny: "Hey, I don't wanna hear anymore of it, alright? You already gave me more than an earful last night."

Carley: "Then maybe you oughta learn how to stop talking out of your ass for once!"

Unfortunately for Kenny, he was about to hear more of what Carley was arguing with him about last night. At the same time, Joel's frustration was starting to build up as he was letting out deep breaths and wipes his hand across his face.

Carley: "All Ben wanted was to help and contribute to the group. Things may not have gone how he'd wanted - when does it ever for us - but even so-"

Joel: "How many times are you gonna sugarcoat what that boy did? Huh?"

Carley: "Excuse me?"

As he steps toward the short woman, he momentarily holds up his right forearm, reminding her of his old wound.

Joel: "You see this? I took a goddamn bullet for you because of him. You remember? Either one of us could've been shot down like a dog that night because he didn't fess up. Right after we barely got away from that fucking raid he caused. Regardless of his "good intentions", he still fucked things up even more for us than they already were."

Carley: "Except Ben didn't mean for any of that to happen, it was all just a mistake and-"

Joel: "And just how do you reckon that would've mattered if we all wound up _dead_ for his _mistakes_?!"

The anger in his tone and the way he stepped closer to Carley as he yelled nearly caused her to take a step back, but she stood her ground. She knew he wouldn't lay a hand on her, but it was still intimidating when Joel's anger is unleashed. Lee didn't like the way he was acting towards her and steps up in her defense.

Lee: "Hey! Don't you talk to her that way. Back off."

Carley: "It's fine, Lee. I can handle myself."

Joel: "Don't you start with me, too."

Lee: "Or what? You gonna pistol whip me in the face, too?"

Joel: "I just said not to-"

Christa: "Guys! I don't know what happened before Omid and I showed up, but we can cross that bridge when we get to it."

Unfortunately, her words fell upon deaf ears. The four of them were too heated to listen to reason. Omid even moved next to his girlfriend as Joel directed his glare at Lee and walks around him.

Joel: "Y'know what? You don't exactly got room to talk, Lee. It was one thing not telling us when someone was bitten, but not telling us who was responsible for putting us all at risk more than once? That's another."

Lee: "And what about you? At least I wasn't expecting a ride from somebody I knew just to abandon everyone."

Joel: "Really? You really wanna start beating on _that_ dead horse?"

Lee: "For the record, Kenny didn't even want me to say anything, and Carley and I were planning on letting Ben tell you guys _after_ we got outta this city and settled down elsewhere."

Joel: "Oh, I'm sure you were."

Kenny: "Hey now, don't you try to- Wait, you knew Ben was responsible, too, Carley?"

Carley: "Not at first, but yeah, I did. But you're not entirely innocent yourself, Kenny."

Kenny: "Me?"

Carley: "You could've mentioned to _all_ of us there wasn't enough room on that boat to begin with. Had you already thought ahead on who was gonna be left behind?"

Lee: "So much for 'important to stay honest with each other'."

Kenny: "Oh, like any of that really fucking matters right now!"

Omid: "Hey, this is seriously getting out of hand here."

They still weren't hearing them. At that moment, Lee lets his anger get the best of him and lashes out even more.

Lee: "Well, I'm really glad I've got you looking out for me, Joel. Not like you ever wanted to do the same when it came to Clementine's parents. You ever think that's why the girls got out of the house again?"

Joel: "What did you say?"

Lee: "Maybe they wouldn't have been taken by that motherfucker on the radio if you hadn't talked me into convincing Clem that her parents are dead and break my promise to find them for her!"

Oh, he did not like that. Joel did not like hearing that at all. Deepening the glare in his eyes and tightening his fists, he stepped up close to Lee and points his finger at him.

Joel: "Now you listen to me. You know damn well why we couldn't go looking for them. Or do you need to take another look outside that window? There was no point to putting their lives at risk over two people we _know_ are long gone. And you know what? If this is your way of repaying me after I had to save your ass last night, then piss off. One way or another, I am getting Ellie _and_ Clementine back, with or without any of you!"

Lee: "Then do something about it, you son of a bitch, okay?! Don't even fucking hesitate!"

That right there pushed him over the edge. Blinded by his rage, Joel grabs hold of the first thing he sees, which was the bust, and holds it up, making Lee step back and raise his hands in defense.

Carley: "Joel, no! Don't!"

Joel: "Rraaaghh!"

He tosses it hard as he can, sending it flying past Lee as he flinches and smashes it at the wooden wall, causing a small hole upon impact. Everyone remained silent, feeling a little intimidated by this act of rage while Joel breaths heavily. The need to keep the argument going died down nearly instantly. Omid had noticed the damage done to the bust and points it out.

Omid: "You ruined that dude's face."

Joel directed his scowl at the Persian man for his comment. Not wanting to push his luck, Omid decides not to bring up the bust until further notice and his girlfriend lets out a deep sigh as she frowns at everyone. Disappointed in how they all not only lost their tempers, but lost focus on what was really important.

Christa: "Are we all done here? Because I'd like to get back to finding a way out so we can get to Clementine and Ellie."

No one really felt like saying anything right now. But then, the reporter had examined the hole in the wall and realized something about it.

Carley: "Wait, guys, look. You see that, right?"

Noticing it as well, Kenny approached the wall, grabs hold of a piece and easily tears it off.

Kenny: "This wall is corroded to hell."

Carley: "What's on the other side of this wall, a thirty-foot drop?"

Omid: "No, this mansion butts up against the one next door."

Kenny's eyes lightened up upon this accidental discovery. They may have just found a way out of this attic after all. Just got to bust their way out.

Kenny: "Well I'll be damned."

Christa: "We're not lifers on Alcatraz here; we can't spend the next three months digging through a wall."

While they were busy discussing, Lee had gotten an idea in his head to pick up a nearby coat rack, smashes the wall with it and sets it back down to inspect the damage.

Lee: "This wall ain't shit."

Omid: "Is this really possible?"

The mustached man steps up to take hold of the coat rack and smashes it into the wall twice. It was gonna take some time and plenty of elbow grease, but it would work.

Kenny: "Yeah. We can do this."

Joel: "All right then."

Kenny: "We'll all work in shifts to bust through this. Lee, Joel, you two rest for now. We have to work fast."

The crew leaves him to it and move on over to the other side of the attic to sit down for a bit. Christa and Omid took a seat on a couch while Lee sat down on a storage box in front of them with Carley by his side, bringing an arm around his shoulder. Joel meanwhile sets up a wooden chair from the floor and sits down with his left forearm placed firmly on his knee and his right hand on the other.

Christa: "Have you got it all out of your system?"

Joel: "Eh. Somewhat."

Christa: "I just don't want to have to worry about you or anyone else losing their shit and going off like that again. You're pissed, and you're worried for them, I get that. We all want to find the girls and for them to be safe just as much as you guys. But it only makes harder if we start distrusting each other now."

Joel: "I hear you. Just so you know, I wasn't really gonna hurt you, Lee."

Lee: "Sure. I know."

Joel: "Do you?"

Lee: "Well, you still scared the shit outta me, man. And, I didn't really mean what I said earlier. It wasn't right. I was out of line."

Joel: "Don't worry about it."

They remained silent for a moment, listening to the walkers moaning below them, Kenny grunting and the wooden wall getting smashed by the coat rack for a bit until Omid began to make small talk.

Omid: "So, did your crew get into any shit before you met up with us?"

Carley: "Is it possible to have survived up to this point and not gotten into some shit?"

Omid: "Ha, fair enough. But, for real though, anything else you guys wanna get off your chest?"

They had glanced at each other for a quick moment before looking anywhere else. Nothing really specific came to mind about what else they experienced these past few months. Looking back down again at the wound on his arm he had gotten the other night, Joel decides to check on it as he pulls up the sleeves of his jacket and blue flannel shirt, and removes the bandages. The grazed bullet wound now turned into a scar, looking better than it did before that night in the RV, and would be a permanent reminder to him of how Lilly had betrayed their trust.

Christa: "Damn. How did that happen?"

Joel: "Before we ran into you two, there was this other woman with us. Lilly was her name. She had her dad, Larry. After he died, she just couldn't cope, became paranoid and lost her shit. Tried to gun down Carley when we weren't looking. I stepped in and, well, this happened."

Omid: "Well, at least now you got sick scar to tell the tale about it."

He only rolls his eyes at his comment and pulls his sleeves back down.

Omid: "So when we get this guy... what do you think?"

Lee: "We figure out who he is and why he's doing this; we can rescue Clem and Ellie, but they won't be safe if this guy's not gonna stop."

Omid: "Gotcha. And when we _do_ get him, the rest of us will get out of sight and leave him with the two of you. You get me?"

Lee: "We get you."

Christa: "And then? What comes after?"

Joel: "The bridge is our one way out of the city. Henry and Molly made that much pretty clear. We get there and get across. Maybe even fight our way through if we have to."

Christa: "Sure. But, what I meant was, what's our plan for if and when we manage to escape after we get the girls back? Cause I hope it doesn't involve anymore cities. They've already proven more than enough times to be nothing but goddamn deathtraps."

Good question. Where _do_ they go after they get out of Savannah? Joel thought over the plan that he made with Lee and their girls on the train. Looking for Clementine's parents? Not much else to say about that anymore. Finding a boat? Been there, done that, and then lost it. One thing still remained left unchecked on their plan. Something that Ellie was driven to find, and now, thanks to what they found last night, so was he.

Joel: "We look for the Fireflies. There was another one of their pendants back at the school with my brother's name on it."

Omid: "Really? So then, they're here?"

Joel: "Molly told us that they were forced to leave Savannah and were going somewhere northwest from here, so that's where we'll be heading. As long as we follow their signs, we should be able to track them down."

Christa: "Are you sure that's what we should be doing? I mean, do you even know for sure if this Fireflies group will be any better or worse than the people we've seen here?"

Joel: "No. But, knowing Tommy, if he's anything like I last saw him years ago, then he might be willing to help us. Ellie is also hoping to find a friend of hers with them, so they may just be worth looking for."

Christa: "I hope you're right about that. For all our sakes."

He also had Fort Benning in mind. He never forgot how his old friend Tess mentioned heading there as a backup plan if things didn't go back to normal on the first night at the Travelier Motel. However, the last military base they went to, the one where they found Mark, it was overrun with the dead. But there is also a chance that it could be where the Fireflies are. He would bring that up later. After they escaped from this city that is. At that moment, an exhausted Kenny was coming back over after making good progress smashing through the wall.

Kenny: "All right, I'm out of gas. _You_ look good and rested."

Omid: "Sure, if you don't count an infected leg."

Carley: "You want me to do it?"

Omid: "Nah, it's fine. I can handle it. You can hop in after me."

The short man stands up and proceeds to take over smashing through the wall with the coat rack while Kenny takes his spot on the couch.

Kenny: "Shouldn't take long now. It's good we're forced to take a breath. After that, then we can start heading towards River Street. We'll be able to get to the hotel from there."

The crew nod their heads in agreement. However, Lee thought about how Kenny was still harboring hatred over Ben for getting his family killed, despite it being unintentional. But, maybe he could help ease up that hate if he understood where Ben was coming from.

Lee: "He never made it back to his own family, you know."

Kenny: "Say what now?"

Lee: "After Duck and Katjaa died, Ben told me how he never got to make it back to his home, to see if his parents and little sister survived or not. So, in a way, you were lucky to be able to say goodbye to your family. In the end, he never got to know."

Kenny: "I... I never thought of it that way before."

As he sat there, deep in his thoughts about his family and Ben, he leans forward while removing his ballcap and leans his arms on his legs with a deep frown. Didn't Lee also mention before how Ben didn't _want_ to be saved? Now the guilt was starting to pile up on him. He even starts rubbing his forehead in his hand. At least Lee tried to save him. Had Kenny been the one making the call on the other hand...

Christa: "How are you?"

Kenny: "I'm... I don't know how to answer that."

Christa: "I'm sorry. You've lost more than anyone. Well, as much as anyone."

Kenny: "A lot of us have lost families."

Lee: "We have. But we're all still here. Still not bitten. Despite everything this fucked up world keeps throwing at us. It'll be alright, Ken. Just gotta keep moving forward."

Kenny: "Now there's a statement I can get behind, doc."

That actually brought a little smile on Lee's face. He had said those words to him before back at the Motor Inn, on the day that he attempted to save a man's life by cutting his leg free from a bear trap. Kenny almost smiled back, but then frowns after thinking about their recent argument and turns to the woman sitting beside him.

Kenny: "Carley, I uh... I've been thinkin' and, well..."

Carley: "Yeah?"

Kenny: "I just wanna apologize for shooting my mouth off like that. About Ben. He's gone now, but what good's it doin' for me? I ain't getting them back."

Carley: "I know. But, that is nice of you to say, Kenny. Apology accepted."

He nods at her and places his hat back on. But then, she had noticed how quiet Joel was during this discussion. She was hoping that maybe he can put this hatred towards the poor teen behind him, too.

Carley: "Joel? What about you?"

Joel: "Hmm?"

Carley: "Do you think you can at least agree that Ben never meant any harm, nor wanted to put any of us in danger?"

Joel: "I... Yeah, sure. Ellie seemed to think so. I think, that's what she'd want me to do."

That was good enough for her, showing a small grin out of appreciation. Kenny notices an opened box beside the couch on his left, leans over to look inside and finds a bottle of whiskey stored in it, among other items. He retrieves the bottle and twists the cap off.

Kenny: "These guys tell you much of what we been through?"

Christa: "Bits and pieces."

Kenny: "We ever mention how we stayed at a rotten Motor Inn for over three months before we met y'all?"

Christa: "No, I don't think you did."

Kenny: "It wasn't exactly home sweet home, but it did keep us safe for as long as it did. Could do without the gang of bandits that were hassling us and especially this psycho family of dairy farmers that literally tried to make us their next meal."

Christa: "Are you for real?"

Kenny: "Yup. Not one of our best days. Had to make plenty of tough calls."

Omid: "Hey."

Everyone turned to see Omid returning after have made progress of his own on the wall and was limping a little again.

Carley: "You finished?"

Omid: "Just about. But, my leg is killing me. I need to sit down again for a bit."

Carley: "Okay then. I can take over."

She lets go of Lee and moves over to the hole. It was almost big enough for everyone to fit through. Just a little more and they can move on from this room. And so, she grabs the coat rack and gets to work. As Omid takes a seat next to his girlfriend again, Lee had something that he wanted to say to Kenny and Joel.

Lee: "For what it's worth, I am sorry for not being entirely honest with you guys. I was doing what I thought was right in order to keep the group together. We had already lost too much. I didn't think it was worth anymore blood being spilled. And I'm sorry for hurting you guys in any way. All I can do is promise to be more honest from here on out."

Joel: "It's fine, Lee. We're all doing the best we can. Besides, I think we've already been more than honest enough with each other back at the Motor Inn."

Omid: "Wait, what?"

Christa: "What do you mean by that?"

The other men glanced at one another and shifted uncomfortably. The need to tell these two their pasts never came up. Lee attempts to explain to them without fully giving anything away.

Lee: "We, uh, pretty much shared who we really were before the outbreak and what we did. None of it was good."

As vague and somewhat cryptic as it sounded, it was enough to imply how both of them had done bad things before and weren't exactly all that good in their past lives. The couple looked at each other for a moment before Christa shakes her head and lets out a sigh.

Christa: "Look, I'll admit I was skeptical of you guys when we first met. Even when you came to our rescue out of nowhere at the underpass. But, you've already shown more than enough how much we can rely on you. Those little girls may not actually be your daughters, but they think the world of you both. If we wanted to know who you people really were before, we would've asked."

Omid: "Yeah. I mean, it's not like we're just gonna leave you guys high and dry now. And, this may sound a little cheesy and cliche, but what's important is what we choose to be here and now."

That was a relief. Mostly for Joel since he didn't wanna have to explain the kind of life he lived in the black market. He did raise an eyebrow at Omid's words, though. But there is some truth to that. At this point, it didn't feel like who they were before really mattered that much anymore. Not after everything they've been doing to survive and protect one another.

Joel: "Yeah, you're right. That was pretty cheesy."

That got a chuckle out of Omid and a shrug of his shoulders. Still holding onto the bottle of whiskey, Kenny raises it up to propose a little toast.

Kenny: "Well, here's to being honest, and to rescuing Clementine and Ellie from this crazy stalking son of a bitch."

And with that, he takes the first drink. Kenny then holds it out towards Lee, offering him a drink. It has been a while since he's ever had any alcohol. But aside from that, his throat was feeling dry. So, he accepts the bottle and takes a little drink, too. He then passes it on to Joel and he takes a shot. As Christa watched her boyfriend take the bottle, she looks down at her stomach for a moment. Lee noticed this and raised an eyebrow at her. When she looks back up, Omid had already taken a sip, as well as coughed a little at the taste, and then they locked eyes with each other, frowning. She knew what he was thinking and knew damn well that he would never let her live it down if she drank from that bottle. Before anyone could say anything, Omid reaches over to hand the bottle back to Kenny and takes hold of Christa's hand.

This left the other men a bit confused. But for Lee, there seemed to be something to it more than that. The former professor was starting to get a good idea of what was going on between them, and what they haven't been telling them. It all started with their little private talk back on the underpass, then there was Christa throwing up after he dug up the dog's corpse, how she cried over Anna Correa being forced to have an abortion, and now there was Omid not letting Christa take a shot of whiskey. All these signs pointed to one thing. But he had to be sure.

Lee: "Listen, I, uh, don't mean to pry into y'alls business or anything, but before we keep going, there's something I wanna be sure about. Christa, are... are you...?"

Christa: "Yes."

He didn't even have to finish for her to know what he was asking; Christa was pregnant. Lee's suspicions proved to be true. Joel and Kenny were surprised by this, but they didn't say a word. Didn't even bother asking when it happened, why they never said anything or even how they were planning on dealing with it.

Lee: "Okay then. We don't have to get into it now. We can keep our focus on the girls. But, just know if you ever need anything from us, anything at all, we'll do what we can."

Christa: "Thank you."

Omid: "Yeah, dude. We really appreciate that."

Carley: "I'm through!"

The time to rest was over now. Time to get back on track to the Marsh House. After setting the coat rack down, Carley takes a look in the next room through the hole as the crew gathers around her.

Carley: "Looks empty. No walkers or anything in here."

Omid: "Things are looking up."

Joel: "Don't fucking jinx us now."

Omid: "Hey man, just trying to be optimistic here."

Joel: "Whatever."

* * *

The walkie-talkie Clementine tried to use to contact their friends had been taken from her and was now in the Stranger's hand. He had stepped out of the bathroom after patching himself up sooner than she would've hoped for.

Stranger: "Lying about Ellie not having that knife of hers? That is not okay. Using my walkie-talkie without my permission like that? That is also not okay. I don't wanna have to put you in time-out like Ellie. So, I need to you to be good from now on. This way I can take care of you both."

Clementine: "I... I'm sorry. I just want to-"

Stranger: "If you wanted to talk with Lee, all you had to do was ask me if you can. But since you didn't, that's not going to be possible for a while."

And with that, he walks towards the closet, places the radio on the top shelf where she would have no chance of reaching it, and closes it shut. She lowers her head in sadness, knowing that she won't get anymore chances to contact Lee and Joel. But hopefully, the few words she had told them would be enough to lead them here.

Stranger: "Now you wait here while I go have a little word with Ellie for a minute."

As their kidnapper moves past her, she looks up to see him heading towards the room her friend was in and spots the switchblade in his back pocket. Her eyes widen, realizing the opportunity in front of her. His back was turned, he wasn't focused on it or her. This may be her only chance to get it. But if he catches her, who knows what he might do. And then, she thought about something Lee had told them; fear is the thing that will kill them if they let it get the best of them. She was scared, but even so, she can't let that take over and prevent her from helping those she cares about. Not this time. Thinking fast, the little girl runs up to him and grabs the adult, pleading to him.

Clementine: "Please! Don't hurt her! She's... she's my friend."

He was caught off guard by this reaction, but he was quick to reassure her as he turns and places a hand on her shoulder.

Stranger: "Calm down. I have no intention of hurting her, sweetie. Ellie and I are just gonna have a little conversation between us. Now, be a good girl and stay in this room. And please, don't touch anything else."

She nods in response. That didn't really reassure her as she watches him enter the room and locks the door with a key. Thankfully, he didn't realize that the little girl was able to swipe the switchblade from his back pocket without him noticing and was now holding it in her hand. The next step was to get it to Ellie through the vent. Just gotta wait for the right moment.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N I really wish I could get better at posting each new chapters, but for one reason or another, I just can't, no matter how much I want to, and I am truly sorry to you all. I was having some personal issues going on that don't want to go into detail about and had to work through, and I feel like I was letting everyone down with each day that I didn't update this. But I never want to give up on this. Not with how much I got in mind about how far I want to take it. For this chapter, I wanted to add some focus on Ellie and Clem's kidnapped situation. And for the argument between Lee and Joel, I'm aware that I made it seem like they both agreed to nearly everything despite having disagreements when it comes to looking for Clem's parents before, so I wanted to use that moment to make it so that that wasn't the case. Also, yes, Omid's comment about Joel's scar was a pun on Telltale.**


	4. Chapter 4: A Chance

**A/N******** After taking a moment to rest and hash things out, the survivors continue on. Meanwhile, Ellie has an uneasy discussion with the Stranger.**** Be sure to let me know what you think of this crossover. I do not own The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.**

**(Updated 08-16-20)**

Chapter 4: A Chance

One by one, the small group of survivors crawl through the hole they created that leads to a bedroom of the mansion next door to the one they took shelter in. The first thing Kenny does is try to open the door that leads to the hallway, but was able to stop himself upon hearing the sound of walkers on the other side.

Kenny: "Shit. This one's full of em too. Everyone keep quiet."

Joel nods at him and then directed his attention to the desk on the side. Lee was the last one to crawl through and step inside. He notices Carley standing in front of a bed with what looked like some people on it and steps up to stand beside her.

Lee: "Carley? Are you-"

His eyes widen at what she was looking at. Lying on the bed were two corpses holding hands with their blood splattered on the pillows. They could spot the wedding rings on their fingers. A husband and wife. The gun was in the husband's hand, making it clear that he shot his wife before shooting himself. As the crew gathered around this tragic moment in front of them, Omid brought his hand around Christa's waist as they lean on one another while Carley reached to place her hand on Lee's shoulder. With all the walkers right outside this room and the vicious people in the city that would've surely killed them, they wanted to go their own way. Kenny sighs heavily and turns to look out the window. Yet another reminder of his own diseased wife and son.

Lee: "How could they do this?"

Joel: "Might've thought it would've better than to have a Walker or Hunter do it for em."

Christa: "Yeah... We've seen so many people on the road... I don't know why these ones break my heart."

Kenny: "What's heartbreaking is not giving yourself a chance. It's what Henry tried to do. It's what Katjaa did."

Lee: "Ken. You did everything you could."

Kenny: "No, Lee. She left me... my son... the people who cared about us... I forgive her, but it don't make it any less wrong. You don't just end it cause it's hard. You stick it out, and you help the folks you care about."

They all find themselves agreeing with his statement. But, they had to keep moving now. Clementine and Ellie were waiting for them. As carefully as she could, the reporter reached for the gun in the dead husband's hand and extracts the clip for extra ammo. She was disappointed to not find as much as she was hoping for when she held it in her hand.

Carley: "Just one bullet. Well, better than nothing, I guess."

She takes out her own gun and loads the bullet into the current magazine.

Joel: "Let's take a look around, see if they left behind anything useful before we move on."

Following his suggestion, the crew begin to search the room while Joel went back to that desk he was looking at. Plenty of papers were littered around it. He moves them around until he finds a used roll of tape. Not much left, but he can still make some use of it. After picking it up from the desk, he starts walk through the room passing by Carley and Christa checking through the dresser drawers while Kenny and Lee checked the bedside tables, trying their best not to look at the dead couple. He comes to a stop in front of a small trash can next to a fireplace and finds a dirty pair of scissors in it. Seeing them and the tape still in his hands gave him an idea of how he can use them. Just needed to figure out what to use them on. Checking the people around him, he eventually sets his sights on Omid, who was searching through another dresser in front of him.

Joel: "Hey, Omid. You still got that pipe of yours?"

Omid: "Sure. Why?"

Joel: "Lemme borrow that for a sec."

Omid: "Okay..."

After being given his weapon, Joel kneels down in front of the trash bin to collect the scissors, pulls them apart and begins crafting the two items together. Omid tried to take a peek at what he was doing, but couldn't really get a good look. By the time he was finished, he rose back up with both halves of the scissors taped to the end of the pipe, making it much more effective and then returns it to its owner, who admires his work with a whistle.

Joel: "Here you go."

Omid: "Sweet upgrade. Much more badass now."

Joel: "Yeah, just try not to hurt yourself with it."

Omid: "Very funny."

Not much else to do in this room now. As Omid finishes his search, Joel approaches a balcony door, opens it and steps outside. No signs of any Walkers or Hunters yet. Judging by the light outside, it was already the afternoon. The sun will be going down soon. There were some dark clouds in the distance, too. A storm was on the way. There was also another rooftop pretty close to the balcony. Close enough to jump across. Just then, the people meet up behind him to report.

Joel: "Any of y'all find anything?"

Christa: "Nothing other than personal items in here."

Carley: "Did you find a way out?"

Joel: "Yeah, look here. This can work. We stick to the rooftops, we can keep clear from all that mess on the streets straight to the hotel."

Kenny: "Okay then. Let's get a move on."

Lee: "After you."

Being at the head of the group, Joel steps up onto the railing of the balcony, placing a hand on the wall to balance himself, and then jumps to the adjacent roof. After pulling himself up, he does a quick look around to make sure it was safe before calling the others over.

Joel: "It's clear. Come on over."

Omids grins at his girlfriend before stepping up to leap across next, and then Christa follows suit with a little help up from the ledge by her boyfriend. Lee allowed Carley to go next and made it easily. But, unbeknownst to the others when Kenny leaps off the railing next, the balcony gets loosen by the man's weight. Finally, it was Lee's turn to jump across as he steps up the railing. But then, the balcony suddenly shifts forward, throwing the man on it off balance.

Lee: "OH SHIT!"

Before he could even attempt to leap off properly, Lee winds up slipping off the balcony. He couldn't get a grip of the ledge as he hits the wall and falls to the alleyway below screaming.

Carley: "LEE!"

Omid: "Holy fuck!"

The group was quick to stand by the ledge while Carley kneel down and grasps it with her hands. The sound of Lee hitting ground could be heard, but it was too dark to see the alley down below. They couldn't tell where he had landed. Or more importantly, if he had survived the fall.

Carley: "Oh God, no! No!"

Frantically looking around her, she spots a ladder that leads to the alley on the side of the building and hurries over to climb down.

Kenny: "Me and my fucking mouth..."

The mustached man shook his head before descending down the ladder as well. Omid and Christa were about to join in, but were stopped by Joel stepping in front of them and raising his hand up.

Christa: "Joel, what the hell?"

Joel: "Ain't no point in putting all of lives at risk down there."

Omid: "Dude, come on. We can help-"

Joel: "By staying up here. Someone's gotta keep a lookout. If for some reason everything ends up going to shit down there, then you two will be the only chance they got left."

He also had Christa's pregnancy in mind, but he wouldn't mention it out loud. Neither of them liked it, but they knew he had a point. So, they reluctantly listen to him and remain where they're standing.

Christa: "Fine. Just... hurry back. We'll keep watch from here."

He nods and follows after Kenny and Carley to get Lee while Omid and Christa resume looking down from above by the ledge.

* * *

Still tied to the leg of the bed, Ellie hears the door to the adjoining hotel room unlocked and opened by the Stranger, then was quickly closed and locked again as he stepped inside. Both keeping eye contact with each other while he approaches the teen girl, walking around the bed at a slow pace, unintimidated by the glares in her eyes. Once he was in front of her, he takes a seat on the bed and begins to talk with her.

Stranger: "Are you going to behave yourself from now on?"

Ellie: "Depends. Are you gonna let us go?"

Stranger: "Even if I wanted to, the streets are too full of the dead outside. We won't be able to go anywhere for a while."

Ellie: "I'd rather take my chances with them than be your prisoner, you creepy fuckface."

Stranger: "Mind your tongue, young lady. And you're not my prisoner. Neither of you are."

Ellie: "Whatever. You keep telling yourself that."

All he could think about was how ungrateful she was being right now. If only she truly understood his intentions for them. He knew she'd have a hard time understanding, but not to the point where she'd jump him from behind and then stab him in the shoulder, leading him to have to spend some time in the bathroom to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound. In an effort to make her understand, he starts off with asking the all important question.

Stranger: "Do you know who I am?"

Ellie: "No. Why would I? We never even met."

Stranger: "Maybe not directly. But, in a way, we have met before."

Ellie: "What are you talking about?"

Stranger: "I'm sure you remember. There might have been a station wagon in the forest a little over a week ago? Full of all sorts of food, water, things you need to survive?"

Hearing his words caused her to widen her eyes. This was _him_. _He_ was the owner of the station wagon they found after their whole ordeal with the St. Johns. This was all starting to make sense now, why he was stalking them the whole time and followed them all the way to Savannah. Ordinarily, she would feel guilty for their people robbing him. But he had taken her and Clementine against their will and was feeling too pissed at him for it. She remembered Joel's words about that situation. How he had doubted anyone was alive, and that if they were, then they'd learn what happens when you leave your supplies unguarded and unattended.

Ellie: "First of all, I didn't even agree with taking any of it. Second, you left everything out there for the taking. Even if we hadn't, someone else would've-"

Stranger: "For the _taking_?! You have any idea what they took from me?"

Ellie: "Don't you start on who took what from who."

Stranger: "I didn't _take_ you two from them. I rescued you from them. Don't you get that?"

Ellie: "Then why the hell am I being tied up in here like an animal then, huh?"

Stranger: "I told you. You are on time out. Outbursts like that are not appropriate. When you calm down and realize that I am doing all this to keep you both safe and alive, you can be with Clementine again."

The teen girl lets out a scoff and looks away from him. This conversation was not going as well as he hoped it would. Still so confrontational and stubborn. She really preferred to be with those instead of being safe and sound with him.

Stranger: "Ellie. Let me ask you something. Why is it that you are so fixated on being with them?"

* * *

Joel had reached the bottom of the ladder and steps through a gate into the alley. He spots Lee laying on his left side on the ground with Carley and Kenny kneel in front of him. After stepping closer to see for himself, he notices that Lee had fallen on some debris that did little to cushion the landing. It seemed like he was unconscious.

Carley: "Lee! Lee, are you okay?! Say something!"

At first, he didn't answer, which was very worrisome. But then he let out a cough and moans in pain before opening his eyes and lifts his head. When he attempted to push himself up, he lets out another painful groan and drops back down.

Joel: "What's the matter?"

Lee: "My arm...!"

Carley: "Is it broken?"

Lee: "I don't know. But, agh, it definitely got the worst of it. Ow. Fuck. Of all the times I could fall on my face again."

Kenny: "C'mon, pal. Just walk it off. You're gonna be-"

But then, as he was being helped sitting upright, the three of them immediately let out a gasp. Even Carley placed a hand over her mouth. When Lee looked for himself, his eyes widen upon realizing that he was bleeding due to a shard of glass punctured into his left upper arm. It was then that they noticed the broken remains of a glass bottle.

Lee: "Ah shit. Shit!"

Carley: "Jesus, Lee."

Joel: "Alright, look, don't freak out. We can fix that. Just keep still and I'll-"

He was interrupted mid-sentence by the couple still waiting up on the rooftop.

Omid: "Guys, heads up! It's gonna fall!"

Christa: "Watch out!"

Heeding their warning, they look up to see the balcony coming loose and was about to come down right on top of them.

Joel: "Get back!"

Carley and Kenny were quick to get to a safe enough distance, but Lee struggled to get back on his feet. He wouldn't be fast enough to avoid it.

Joel: "Come on, move!"

He grabs hold of his injured friend and drags him away just as the balcony started to collapse and lands with a loud thud. The impact caused some dirt and dust to fill the air for a bit, causing them to wave their hands and cough. The noise will bring the walkers right to them soon. But that was the least of their worries right now when a lone Hunter wearing a hoodie and a beanie came around the corner wondering what was making all that racket. When he saw the tourists, he quickly reaches for his revolver and takes aim.

Kenny: "Fuck! Get down!"

They use a dumpster in the alley as cover from the gunfire. Joel quickly withdraws the molotov Chuck gave him from the hospital rooftop, lights it, and with one great throw, he smashes it at the end of the alley, setting a fire in front of the Hunter and scaring him off. Problem now was that they could hear him calling out for his buddies as he took off.

Joel: "Dammit, more of em are gonna be on us soon. We gotta get back up!"

While he rushes over back to the gate, the shorter woman brought Lee's uninjured arm around her to help him get to the ladder.

Carley: "I got you, Lee. Hurry."

He could only groan in response. His legs weren't hurting as bad as his arm, but he was still feeling disoriented from the fall. Watching his friend struggle to escape, Kenny then stared off at the end of the alleyway with a glare. He didn't know how many more of them were coming, but he knew deep in his gut what was bound to happen next... and he would be damned if he stood by and allowed it to happen. Just as Carley helped Lee through and were about to climb the ladder, the gate was slammed shut behind them with an iron bar jammed in between the handles immediately afterwards. They were completely caught off guard from the fact that Kenny just locked them in with his rifle in hand. It took Joel a second before attempting to open the gate, but it wouldn't budge.

Carley: "Kenny? What the fuck?!"

Lee: "What are you doing?"

Kenny: "Giving you guys a chance."

Carley: "What the hell does that mean?"

Kenny: "It means I'm gonna lure those sons of bitches away from here."

Lee: "What?!"

Joel: "Kenny, there's no way that-"

Kenny: "If they catch y'all trying to get back up there, you ain't gonna make it. Then no one will be able to save them, and all this would've been for nothing."

Lee: "Ken, no. You don't have to do this."

Kenny: "Yeah, I do, pal. I can't just go saying all that shit and not do something about it now."

None of them could believe what they were hearing. Kenny was prepared to sacrifice himself by making the Hunters focus on him so they could get away. Taking another glance, Kenny noticed the molotov fire was starting to go out and could hear the Hunters getting closer. When he turns to his friends again, he focused on the weapon he gave to Joel last night for the raid to Crawford and reaches his hand out.

Kenny: "Hey. Lemme have that shotgun. Reckon I might need all the firepower I can get with these assholes."

At that moment, Joel was hesitant about what to do. He eyed the weapon still strapped to his backpack for a moment before looking back at Kenny.

Kenny: "Come on, Joel. They're almost here. This is something that I gotta do. You know that."

The whole time Joel has known this man these past three months, the one thing he knew was that he was always too damn stubborn for his own good. That's what kept him going all this time. As they looked each other in the eyes, Joel knew there was little he could say to change his mind on what he was planning to do. Maybe this'll end up getting him killed, or maybe he'll actually survive from this. Either way, he decided to do the only thing he could do right now; give his friend the best fighting chance he can get. After all, that's what Lee did for Chuck when he gave away his other pistol back at the hospital.

Joel: "All right."

Reaching his hand back, Joel withdrew the shotgun from his pack and then slips it through the bars. Kenny grabs hold to take the weapon, but Joel still had a firm grip on it since he still had something to say.

Joel: "We'd better see you on the other side."

Kenny: "You will. Just be sure to keep your heads down until they've all left. And then... you go get them girls."

With a nod of his head, Joel allows him to take the weapon and then strap it to his back. Glancing back to see the fire snuffed out, Kenny takes one last look at his friends, nods his head and makes a run for it. He comes to a stop at the end of the alleyway before turning around just as a whole group of Hunters show up and takes a shot at them with his rifle.

Kenny: "Hey! Hey, over here! We're right here! Come get us, you bastards!"

After firing another bullet, the man runs away. Joel, Lee and Carley duck down against the wall and keep quiet as they watch at least seven Hunters running and yelling past the gate. Each were armed with rifles, sidearms and shotguns. These men had them completely outgunned. Kenny wasn't far off on how they would've shot them down if they were to climb up the ladder, then they would've gotten to Christa and Omid next. Not only that, but if they attempted to stand their ground in this narrow environment, chances are they wouldn't last long and the result would be the same. Once everything had gone completely quiet, they knew they were in the clear. But there's no telling what became of their friend now. After trying to look over at the end of the alley Kenny and the Hunters ran to, the three eventually begin climbing back up to the rooftop.

* * *

Ellie: "They're all I got left. Everyone else that I cared about has either died, or left me. Everyone expect them. And Clementine."

Stranger: "I know what it is like to have someone you cared about leave you. I hurt her so bad. My son, Adam, went missing. I took him out hunting even though my wife said he was too young. I figured he had to learn. I came back without him and the look on her face said... "You are a _monster_." We all went out looking for him. We never found him. I hurt her so bad. And then we came back, all our stuff was gone. Those people, Ellie. The same people you and Clementine have been trapped with. I could've earned her trust back if they hadn't made our situation so desperate."

Ellie: "You want me to start feeling sorry for you? Is that it?"

Stranger: "No. I'm not asking for pity. I just want you to understand what happened. The hungrier we got, the more she blamed me. Until she finally took our daughter, Elizabeth, and left. They didn't get far... I... found them a day later. In the road... Do I look like a monster to you?"

Ellie: "Yes."

Stranger: "You may think that now, but eventually, you'll come around. I'm not like Lee or Joel. Thanks to Clementine, I know all about what monsters they are. She thinks Lee is a good man, but he was a killer before the dead showed up, and he is still a killer now."

Ellie: "So what? That was a lifetime ago. The only other times he's killed people is when other people tried to kill us. They didn't give us a choice."

Stranger: "You look up to Joel, yet his occupation included dealing with criminals and killing innocent people. And right from the start, he planned on leaving everyone in that group behind just to save himself."

Ellie: "I wasn't thrilled about it either. But he chose to stay with us. I don't care what he used to be before."

Stranger: "But think about everything they put the two of you through up until now. They walked you both into a dairy full of sick people and let them get their hands on you."

Ellie: "We needed food. We were desperate. None of us knew they were cannibals until it was too late."

Stranger: "They abandoned a defenseless, grieving woman."

Ellie: "Defenseless?! Bullshit! She tried to shoot one of our own in cold blood like it was nothing! She got what she deserved!"

Stranger: "They took you two into the most dangerous place in this city where you both could've died. Horribly."

Ellie: "Yeah, well, we didn't. We _wanted_ to go with them. We didn't want to stay alone in that house."

Stranger: "You two would've been better off. How many times have you and Clementine come close to _dying_ just by being with _them_?"

Ellie: "Don't talk like you would've have done any better!"

Stranger: "THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD'VE DONE!"

Both the stranger and teen girl remained silent after his outburst. Both of them continued glaring at one another without saying another word.

* * *

Christa and Omid were still anxiously looking down from the ledge. They couldn't tell where anyone was down there or even what was happening. That is until they hear someone in pain and turned to see Lee had dropped back down onto his knees, grasping his bleeding arm with Carley in front of him and Joel by his side. The couple quickly rush over to them worriedly.

Omid: "Oh shit, man!"

Christa: "What happened!?"

Lee: "Landed on some glass on the way down. Jesus, this hurts."

Omid: "Seriously?! Holy crap. What do we do?"

Joel: "I got this. Lee, I'm gonna try pulling this thing out, but I need you to keep still and stay quiet as best you can, yeah?"

Furrowing his eyebrows, he knew this was going to hurt a lot more, but still nods his head at him. Looking at the reporter in front of him, she reaches out her hand and he takes it while she uses her other hand to hold his forearm. Before he could get started, Joel sets his pack down to take out what he needed; the used roll of bandages and fresh bottles of antibiotics and painkillers that he got from the Nurse's station in Crawford. Only thing he didn't have was a pair of pliers. He'll have to do this barehanded. Grabbing on to his friend's arm with one hand, he reaches for the shard with the other, grasps hold of it and pulls it very carefully. Lee was trying his best not to make any sudden moves and keep the volume of his painful moaning to a minimum while squeezing Carley's hand. One wrong move and the shard could break apart, leaving it wedged inside. Fortunately, Joel was able to get it loose enough to yank it all the way out. Tossing it aside, he quickly grabs for the bandages and used what was left of it to stop the bleeding.

Joel: "There. That'll hold."

With that done, he picks up the two medicine bottles and opens them up as Lee holds out his hand and was given two separate pills to take.

Joel: "This oughta help with the pain and keep it from getting infected."

Lee: "Thanks, man."

Joel: "Don't mention it."

Carley: "Lee, don't you dare fucking scare me like that again. You hear me?"

Lee: "Ngh, no promises. Sorry, Carley."

That didn't really provide any reassurances as she frowned at his choice of words, but at least he was being honest. But then she furrows her eyebrows. Seeing him fall to the alley and finding his arm bleeding in such a short time scared the absolute hell out of her. He came pretty close to dying just now before he could get the chance to rescue their girls. They all would've lost someone invaluable in their crew. She was just very grateful that Lee was still alive right now. So much so that, being this up-close to his face, she decided to take the opportunity reach her hands up to cup his face and leans in to kiss him on the lips. This took the man by surprise as he was not expecting her to be doing this right now. But rather than attempt to push her away, he closed his eyes and returns the romantic gesture. This may not be the appropriate time, but in this world they live in now, any day could be your last despite your best efforts to ensure that it wouldn't happen. Sometimes, you got to be able to cherish every moment you get to spend with the ones you care about. That was what the two of them were doing now, and no one dared to interrupt. Finally, they break the kiss and look into each other's eyes.

Carley: "I'll take what I can get."

Still a little surprised by what they just did, Lee responds with a little smile on his face and swallows the pills he was given while Christa was still staring at the ladder, expecting Kenny to show up at any second. But he never did.

Christa: "Wait, where's Kenny? Why hasn't he come back up yet?"

At first, she was only answered with sad frowns on their faces. She glanced at her boyfriend for a moment assuming the worst before Lee finally stands back up and answers.

Lee: "The Hunters. They... They were coming for us. He knew that if we all tried climbing back up, they would've gunned us down. So, Kenny stayed behind so they'd go after him instead."

Christa: "Oh, my God."

Omid: "Damn. That's just-... Do you think-?"

Lee: "Look, Kenny's a tough guy, so maybe he'll be all right. Maybe- maybe he'll make it to the bridge."

Carley: "Lee..."

Christa: "What if he doesn't?"

The man didn't really have an answer to that. He really wanted to believe that his friend would make it. But with the amount of odds stacked against him, all on his own, who knows. Knowing they had wasted enough time on this roof as it is and that they can't exactly wait here for Kenny, Joel decided now was the time to get back on track as he straps his backpack on.

Joel: "C'mon. We gotta keep moving."

And so, the crew now one man short move on from the rooftop and continue forward on their way to River Street, where they will find the Marsh House, and hopefully Clementine and Ellie still in there.

**TO BE CONTINUED**

**A/N I hope that everyone is staying safe and well with everything going on with the COVID-19 (Or Coronavirus). I myself am trying to stay positive despite everything. Not only that, but after so long, The Last of Us Part II is finally here. I hope you all have fun playing it. I just wish I could've had this book completely finished before it released. And even though Ben had already died in this story, I wanted to mix up the alleyway scene for this chapter. Otherwise, it would've been much shorter. Now, given the situation in the alleyway, would you have given the shotgun to Kenny or hold onto it for the dangers ahead towards the Marsh House?  
**

**Updated A/N - Normally, I wouldn't do this, and this may seem selfish, I know. But with everything that is about to unfold in the next chapters, I wanted to be able to get away with at least one CarLee kiss.**


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